


Stories of Ransei

by Haya_dono



Category: Pokemon + Nobunaga no Yabou | Pokemon Conquest, Samurai Warriors
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-27
Updated: 2014-09-09
Packaged: 2017-12-16 08:04:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/859829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haya_dono/pseuds/Haya_dono
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Pokemon Conquest set of Drabbles/One-Shots of Yukimura/Heroine. Might include other characters as well.<br/>All of these were written between 2012-2013. Half of them were unpublished until recently.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wish

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to CinderHawk for beta-reading it. Also, Rinne Hanamura is the name of the Heroine in these drabbles/one-shots.

Bright colored papers are scattered across the dimly lit room. Several origami figurines can be seen lying in the small table where a young girl is sitting next to. She is busy, folding and folding a bright blue sheet. Across the table sits a young man, watching the girl work diligently. He smiles as she proudly shows him her newest finished figurine, and she then proceeds to pick another sheet.

"Hey Yukimura, do you know how to make origami figurines?" Rinne asks.

"Well…" Yukimura takes a sheet and begins folding it while Rinne watches him attentively. After some minutes he is done and shows her a slightly crumpled pink dog, making her chuckle. "I never said I was good at it, though."

She puts down her finished blue piece and takes a new sheet. They fall silent; the only thing that can be heard is the paper being folded over and over.

"Cranes…" Yukimura says as he looks at all the finished figures the girl has made. There seem to be 400 or 500 cranes lying around the floor. Or maybe not; since there is a big pile of them in one of the corners, their numbers could be between 900. "Do you intend to make a wish, Lady Rinne?"

She smiles warmly at him, folding a new crane, a green one this time. "Oh, so you know about the story. If you fold one thousand cranes-"

"A crane will come and grant you a wish." Yukimura finishes. "But you need to tie all of them with strings, Lady Rinne."

She looks at the piles of colorful, neatly folded cranes around her and grimaces nervously. "I kinda forgot about that part…"

Both stare at each other. He smiles as she breaks into laughter.

"Wouldn't it be nice?" Rinne says softly, wondering. She's already done with the green crane. "Getting one wish granted. What would you ask for, Yukimura?"

Yukimura closes his eyes, deep in thought. "I want to protect everyone with my own strength and show the world my path as a warrior. I wouldn't wish for it to be done, but rather to be able to do so, so that my legend is told to future generations."

Amazed at his answer, she grins. "Wow, you are really something else, Yukimura." Others would simply ask for the safety of their loved ones, for strength, for things to be done. But Yukimura would wish for the opportunity to show his might and create his own legend.

"What about you, Lady Rinne?"

"Well, I would wish for everyone to be happy," she replies, as she folds carefully another sheet. The dim lights hid a faint, sad smile across her face.

Yukimura nods as he watches her fold the crane. "That is a wonderful wish, but…" His tone becomes solemn as he speaks.

"But impossible, right? Yeah, I guess." Shrugging nonchalantly, she continues folding her crane. "Things like that will never be solved so easily."

They fall silent again. Yukimura watches and Rinne folds the crane, her gaze fixed on the little origami figure. Time goes by.

"But you know…" she looks up and meets his eyes. "Even if I couldn't ask for everyone's happiness, I…"

She gets up, and goes around the table, careful not to step on any cranes in the floor. She sits next to Yukimura and takes his right hand, placing a small, red crane. She smiles at him.

_I wish for your happiness, Yukimura._


	2. Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter, this one focusing on Tarot and the meanings of the Arcana.

Three people were gathered at a table where several cards, books, and a tea set were scattered. It was a warm afternoon, some minutes past three. None of them had an urgent matter to attend and decided to have a friendly chat with some freshly made green tea. They had been at it for an hour now and it didn't seem like they had ran out of topics.

Motonari looked at the curious and interested faces of Rinne and Yukimura as he spoke, "The addition of the 22 Major Arcana around 1440 resulted in the creation of the standard 78-card Tarot deck, which has been used nowadays in divination. However, back then these cards lacked any meaningful significance; they were used to play a card game similar to bridge. Only the upper classes would be able to buy tarot decks, as they were expensive works of art, being hand-painted and adorned with gold."

Motonari took a sip of his tea as he started to feel a little thirsty. Just as he drank it, Rinne seemed to suddenly remember that she was holding a cup with tea as well. She had been too into Motonari's lecture that she had forgotten about it. She took a sip and immediately grimaced.

"Ugh, bitter!" she said, making a disgusted face. She picked four sugar cubes from a small tray and was going to add them to her cup when she felt Motonari's disapproving gaze.

"Lady Rinne, you aren't supposed to add sugar to your green tea," said Motonari, shaking his head.

She looked displeased at Motonari and replied, "But it is so bitter! I can't drink it. How isn't your mouth dropping from the bitterness?"

Yukimura cleared his throat and with a polite, almost pleading, tone asked, "Lady Rinne, are you sure you should be adding four cubes of sugar? Isn't that-"

"You are right, Yukimura!" Rinne smiled at him as she dropped the four cubes into her tea and then picked another two. "It won't be enough."

"…That was not what I meant to say," he muttered, slightly dejected. Rinne was busy mixing the sugar with her tea and didn't seem to hear him.

Motonari shook his head again, this time smiling at the younger Warlords. He took another sip, before continuing his talk, "It was until the decade of 1780 that Tarot was tied to the occult world, with the works of the _Court de Gébelin_ and the _Comte_ _de_ _Mellet_ discussing Tarot in occult terms and the publishing of the Ettellia Tarot deck, a deck made specifically for divination. Each Arcana received a specific meaning, and the designs of the cards were vastly different from the decks of 1440."

"Comet of Mellet? Who comes up with those names?" Rinne said, looking confused at Yukimura.

Yukimura thought for a second, "I believe it is a title, Lady Rinne. If I recall correctly, it means Earl."

She pressed her lips with her index finger, thoughtfully. "Is that so? You'd be Comet Yukimura… That sounds ridiculous. No offense, though," she hurried to say, giving him an apologetic smile.

Yukimura shook his head, smiling softly at her. "None taken. I agree it sounds bad." She chuckled at the last part. Motonari gave a small laugh as well.

Motonari finished his cup and refilled it with the bitter green tea as he spoke, "However, occult tarot did not bloom immediately, and it only became popular as a fortune-telling method in the 19th century. This settled Tarot as a vital tool to predict the future, and became strongly associated with the occult and mysticism. Nowadays, people are trying to use it as a way for personal growth, through means of a story of self-discovery. Each card in the Major Arcana represents a stage in the life of the Fool. Oh, I seem to have got carried away. What were we talking about?"

Rinne almost squealed as she interrupted Motonari, "Oh, I know that! The path of the Fool and the meaning of the Major Arcana. I didn't know much about history, but I'm interested in the meanings."

Yukimura looked at her, intrigued, and asked, "Are you interested in Tarot, Lady Rinne?"

She scratched the back of her head, smiling sheepishly. "I'm not into reading the future or anything, but the whole thing about Tarot saying stuff about your personality really gets me."

Motonari nodded at her. "Oh? So you know the Major Arcana cards and their story? Yukimura, do you know about them." Motonari looked at Yukimura, who shook his head, seeming a bit lost on the topic and what they were talking about.

Rinne puffed out her chest, proud to be able to contribute to the talk. "Yes, it's the Fool, the Magician, the High Empress, the Emperor, the Hierophant, the Lovers, the Chariot, Justice, the Hermit, the Wheel of Fortune, Strength, the Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, the Devil, the Tower, the Star, the Moon, the Sun, Judgement, and the World… Woah," she said almost without breath. She had mentioned all the names too fast without breathing as she counted the cards with her fingers.

"You didn't need to say them so fast. You lost me at the Hanged Man, and it seems Yukimura didn't understand all of the names," Motonari apparently chided to Rinne, however a small smile betrayed his tone.

Yukimura shook his head and replied, "I was able to follow Lady Rinne. However, I couldn't help but notice… Do they have a specific order, Lady Rinne? You seemed to count them to keep track of what was next."

She smiled at him nervously. "You got me on that, haha. Yes, they have a certain order; it has to do with the Fool's journey throughout life. The Fool meets people with the motifs of all the Major Arcana cards throughout his life. I know it seems stupid, but I think it's pretty deep."

Motonari looked at her and asked, "Oh, so you know the meanings, right? Which one would you say fits me?" He was grinning, curiously.

She put her hands on her hips and looked at him, quizzically. "Motonari, huh?" After some seconds of consideration, she smiled and replied, "The Hierophant."

Motonari arched an eyebrow, seemingly interested, while Yukimura looked at Rinne, lost on the topic.

"So, the Hierophant is supposed to be the link between God and humanity. He's like a guide, someone involved with religion," she explained to Yukimura. "However that is not the only meaning. He is usually associated with knowledge and education. He'd be like a teacher, I guess. After all, he's supposed to teach men about the teachings of God or something. So I think it suits you," she finished, turning to Motonari.

Motonari looked at Rinne, slightly amused. "Do you see me like that, Princess?" he asked, while taking another sip of his tea, hiding a grin behind the tea cup.

Motonari Mouri, a man interested in Pokemon research. Rinne had found that he was a genius in strategy and immediately sought for his aid in her conquest of Ransei. Despite his reluctance to battling, he proved to be a formidable addition to her army. However, Motonari's heart lay in the academics; he aimed to be a Pokemon researcher and usually shared his knowledge of any topics he knew something about. He would eagerly talk for hours, something that got on the nerves of Warlords like Ginchiyo. However, Rinne found delight in his lectures, never missing a chance to ask him about something she was curious about. For her, he was a source of knowledge, a guide.

She nodded eagerly, possibly too much, making Motonari chuckle. "Interesting, Princess. I am glad you enjoy my lectures."

Rinne grinned at Motonari in return. She then turned to Yukimura, and excitedly asked, "So, Yukimura, would you like to know your Arcana?"

She seemed so enthusiastic to answer that, so Yukimura nodded in agreement. He wasn't really into occult things but he couldn't help to be a bit curious about her opinion of him.

"I've already thought about your Arcana," she replied, feeling pretty proud of herself. "Strength."

Yukimura looked at her, slightly confused about it. Judging from the name, the answer seemed obvious, someone strong. However, Yukimura knew he was far from being the strongest warrior in their army, or in Ransei. If anyone talked about the strongest, people would mention Nobunaga Oda or Tadakatsu Honda from Nobunaga's Army. In their army, they had the support of Shingen Takeda and Kenshin Uesugi, who were more experienced warriors than him.

"I do not think I am as strong as you think, Lady Rinne," Yukimura replied.

Just as he spoke, he felt Motonari's gaze on him. "I don't think that is what the Princess is referring about. The Strength is more than that."

Rinne took a sip of her extremely sugary green tea, before answering. Yukimura's doubt about her choice didn't seem to affect her opinion. For her, Yukimura was the Strength. "Well, Strength is pretty awesome, you know?" She took another sip and put her cup down. "It's not only brute force, but something deeper. It implies mastery of oneself."

Yukimura blinked, still confused about the meaning of the card. "I am afraid I do not understand what you are saying, Lady Rinne."

"Well, how can I put this? You are just like the card. You are so passionate…" Rinne began to explain. Yukimura listened to her attentively, but Motonari could see something more to that. Her eyes lit up as she spoke, "It's like there is something deep inside you that drives you to excel, to accomplish something. You use that to move forward, overcoming whatever you face, never giving up. But you use your own strength to do your own battles and pursue your dream. You are so courageous and disciplined, I really admire that."

Yukimura's eyes were fixed on her as he eagerly registered every word she said about him. Receiving this kind of praise from someone he swore loyalty to, it was something he wished deeply. Every time his Lord Shingen gave him a compliment, he would bow down and thank Shingen from the bottom of his heart for his kind words, promising to improve even more. But this time, it was different.

"But you know… That's not all," Rinne continued. "You are strong, but you're also really kind…" Her voice wavered, as she unconsciously pressed her hand against her chest, smiling softly. "You are always in control of yourself, but you never forget to help others, and you're always gentle and warm…"

Yukimura stared down at his cup, the tea had grown cold. He found himself smiling faintly and he wondered why. Was it her tone, her words? There was nothing extraordinary in the words she said, but it made him happy. He was too caught up in his thoughts to notice how his heart had beaten faster and faster as she praised him, or how that flame in his heart, which he would only feel in the battlefield, had begin to burn. That small, special flame had begun to grow.

She fell silent. She had so many things to say to him. She wanted to tell him how he looked so focused when he was training, and she couldn't help but admire him from afar. In battle, he'd never back down, even against all odds. Their latest battle, in Cragspur, almost resulted in their loss. However, against all odds, Yukimura and his Emboar fought and resisted everything the enemy gave them, when any other warrior would have run away. After the battle, even if he had been worn out, Yukimura had approached her and offered to help her and her Eevee's injuries, never worrying about his.

Motonari looked at the young girl, and gave her a knowing-smile she didn't notice. She probably spent nights thinking about what Arcana would suit Yukimura best. That would be typical of her, going to great lengths to show her admiration for him. Yukimura's reaction was also amusing as well. He poured another cup for himself, as he muffled a small laugh. _Youth these days_ , he thought.

Deciding they had had enough silence, Motonari cleared his throat. Yukimura seemed to snap back at reality and took a sip of his tea, finally realizing it was too cold and he should have drank it time ago. Motonari cleared his throat again, louder, but Rinne seemed too into her own thoughts to notice. He put down his cup, making noise harsher than he wanted it to be.

Rinne jumped when she heard the bump Motonari's cup made, and almost threw her own. She managed to grab it before it flew and the tea would pour out. "I wasn't thinking about Yukimura!" she yelled. Immediately, her eyes widened and she quickly drank the rest of her tea in one shot, while trying to hide her face behind her cup. Yukimura turned to look at her quizzically as Motonari just stared at her, trying to hide a grin.

"Sure, you weren't, Princess," replied calmly Motonari. "Anyway, now that you seem to be back with us, which would be your Arcana, Princess?"

"M-my Arcana?" she said avoiding, painfully obviously, Motonari's knowing gaze. "Uh, I, uh, I guess…" She desperately thought of something, but nothing seemed to come to her mind at the moment. Yukimura looking at her didn't help her at all.

"Well, if you ask me, Princess, I'd say you could be the Sun," Motonari remarked. He added, for Yukimura's sake, "The Sun means someone who has a positive outlook on life, an optimistic and innocent person. It represents being radiant and vibrant, and a sense of accomplishment. You have already noticed the Princess is quite honest and straightforward, full of life, right?" Yukimura nodded at the last remark.

"Aww, Motonari," Rinne replied with a giggle, "Stop it, you are making me…"

"But people like that can overindulge in themselves and not take things seriously, like small kids," Motonari continued cheerfully.

Rinne pouted and folded her arms across her chest. "Hey!"

Motonari drank his tea, leisurely, which in turn made Rinne frown. "Haha, thanks for ignoring me, Motonari."

Yukimura offered more tea to Rinne, which she accepted. Then he poured more tea to his own cup, and said, "Well, I do believe it fits you, Lady Rinne. You are always full of life and enthusiastic. I think you spread your vitality to others in the army, myself included." He gave her a warm smile. Rinne took her cup and gulped down the tea, not noticing how bitter and hot it was. It was natural, though, since her face seemed to have turned as red as Yukimura's armor and was burning probably more than the tea she had just taken.

Motonari shook his head, "Princess, you shouldn't drink it so quickly. You'll burn your tongue…"

Rinne whimpered, as she grimaced in pain, sticking out her tongue. "Too late…"

The older man sighed. "Princess, you should be careful. Anyway, I do think you could be the Sun, but… But maybe you have some shades of the Moon as well."

Rinne stared at Motonari for some seconds, and she asked Yukimura for the tea pot. Serving more tea, she said softly, "…Maybe you are right." She smiled at Yukimura and Motonari, as she put down the tea pot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Moon Arcana means illusions, things that are not as they seem. It is also highly related to magic, inspiration,and mysticism.


	3. Siblings

"Hey Yukimura, do you have siblings?" the female Warlord of Aurora, Rinne Hanamura, asked the brown-haired Warlord, Yukimura Sanada, sitting next to her. He was in the middle of reading some reports on Terrera's training, so her question startled him for a second.

It had been so random. They had been previously discussing whether to delegate their Army in Terrera to improve their Link with Pokemon or to make use of their power force to dig up gold and improve their facilities. So, naturally, a personal question like his family situation would take him off guard.

Yukimura blinked, hesitating for a second as he looked at the girl, who wasn't sitting like him but was sprawled on her belly on the _tatami_ floor. It wasn't unusual for her to sit or stay in odd positions while discussing serious topics; by now he was already used to it, but it did strike him as odd that she was turning her back to him.

"Yes, Lady Rinne. I have an older brother. His name is Nobuyuki."

"So you're the little one in the family…" It wasn't a question, but her wondering tone made Yukimura hesitate again before answering affirmatively. "What is he like, Yukimura?" she quietly asked.

He had stopped reading the report by then, but Yukimura realized he was still holding the papers. Putting them down, he replied, smiling softly as he spoke, "He is a kind, brave, and loyal warrior. He and my father are warriors delegated to protect our Kingdom of Terrera, under Lord Shingen's command. He is smart and experienced. I wish to be as good as him, he inspires me to improve."

As he praised his brother, Rinne wrapped her legs with her arms, still laying on her side on the floor, seemingly interested in the woven straw mats. However, she listened attentively to every single word he said.

Both fell silent. Yukimura looked at her, but she didn't move or say anything. He wondered if he was imagining things, as he thought that something was wrong with the usually happy and easily excited Warlord. He waited for a moment, then picked up the third page of the report, even if he had finished it a while ago, and attempted to scan it.

"…What does he think of you, Yukimura?" she suddenly asked, interrupting Yukimura's ineffective reading. She didn't turn to look at him.

Yukimura carefully considered asking her if something was wrong, but decided against it for now. It would be wrong of him to ignore her question, especially as he could now see that something was bothering her.

"He tells me that I still have a lot to learn, but that he is proud of me being able to serve Lord Shingen." He stopped as he thought he heard her whimper weakly, unsure if he should continue.

As if she seemed to read his mind, she shook her head, almost hinting him to continue. Yukimura nodded to himself and spoke, "I guess he disapproves of me dedicating myself entirely to training… He says I am still young and I should try other things…" his voice wavered as he found himself remembering all the advice his brother would give him and how Nobuyuki would smack him lightly for taking everything too seriously. A faint smile traced upon Yukimura's lips as the talk brought him back fond memories of the time he spent with his brother. "I am grateful for everything he has done for me."

It was now clear to Rinne that Yukimura loved his brother, and his brother loved him back. She hugged herself more tightly as she thought of the bonds between the two Sanada brothers. Sure, they seemed to argue, with Yukimura on the receiving end of talks, but they were really close. As brothers should be, she thought bitterly. Her tightly closed lips curved into a downcast frown.

Yukimura waited for any reaction from the girl. From his position, he couldn't see the young girl grimace in sorrow, choking back tears as best as she could. Just as he moved his hand to tap on her shoulder and ask if she was okay, Rinne's lips parted as she whispered, "You and your brother… I'm so jealous." Her voice broke. She bit her bottom lip, trying to stop herself from saying anything else. She knew that if she did, she'd break down.

Yukimura gently placed his hand on her shoulder. She flinched at his touch and moved her head as closer as she could to the floor. She hoped her hair would be able to hide her face, should Yukimura try to look at her eyes. She didn't want him to see her like this.

"Lady Rinne, are you alright?"

She shut her eyes as she heard him say the last words she wanted to hear at the moment. She nodded as she slowly stood up, her back facing Yukimura. Yukimura stood up as well. If he wouldn't drop the subject, she'd just have to leave before he could say anything else. Judging from his tone, he was worried about her, but seemed ignorant at how bad she truly was feeling. She took a deep breath. If she could just hold it, she'd excuse herself, leave the room and be okay.

It was now the time for her to show her best smile, just as she used to do. _At your darkest point, even when you are feeling so miserable, just smile and bright up_ , she thought. _Even if you think your life is worthless, just smile and hope... Hope that no one notices and move on._

It was time for her to do it. She breathed deeply and turned at him, eyes close and smiling brightly. "I am fine," she said in her usual cheerful tone.

"Thanks for asking," was the follow up she was going to say. However, just as she opened her mouth, Yukimura's voice interrupted her, "Lady Rinne, please forgive me." Then, she found herself surrounded by Yukimura's strong arms.

"Wha-?" she managed to say, as she tried to break free from his embrace, but Yukimura wouldn't let go. He pulled her closer to him.

"Yu-Yukimura, I am fine," she managed to squeal. Her voice was shaking.

"No, you are not," he whispered gently to her ear, as he hugged her.

Rinne was unsure if it had been his embrace or his voice, but whatever it had been, it made her lips tremble as she failed to choke back a heartbreaking wail. She broke down in his arms, crying loudly, desperately. Her hands reached Yukimura's back, gripping his armor and clothes until her fingers turned white. Her grieving moans echoed in the room, as she felt her hot tears fall down freely, never stopping.

Her legs gave away, and she would found herself falling to the floor were it not for Yukimura's arms holding her. Carefully, Yukimura knelt down, lowering the two of them to the ground until they were both sitting on their knees. Rinne then flung her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder, as if she tried to silence her intensifying wails.

Yukimura froze, perplexed. He had been taken by surprise, seeing her so miserable while she was clinging to him crying her heart out. He cursed himself for not knowing what to say in these situations. He was never ready or used to them and he was clueless on what to do. However, he genuinely wanted for her to find some sort of solace, he wished to make her feel better somehow. He chided himself mentally, now wasn't the time to fret over his clumsiness. He had to do something for her.

He leaned his head against hers, holding her tightly close to him with one arm while he rubbed her back awkwardly with the other. He didn't say anything, but continued comforting as best as he could until her cries subdued. They stayed like that for a long time.

She had finally been sobbing quietly, when she managed to mutter, "I'm so sorry."

He shook his head, "Don't be."

She leaned her forehead on his shoulder as her grip on his back lessened. "I saw my brother today…" she muttered. "I wanted to talk to him, but…" Her voice quivered and broke.

Slowly, Rinne told Yukimura everything about her unexpected encounter with her older brother. How her brother was so disgusted when she approached him in the market while she was shopping for the ingredients for today's meal. How when she tried to talk to him, he refused to answer, walking away and making her run to him to even talk. How he had told her to stop fooling around, because unlike her, who was pointlessly wasting her life, he had bigger plans for himself, trying to see if he could join an army. He berated her for wasting her time in Cragspur instead of defending Aurora from the Warlord who had conquered 10 Kingdoms, including Terrera and Illusio, ruled by the only men who Nobunaga seemed to be afraid of. It'd fall up to him to pray for the protection of the little Kingdom of Aurora, which was run by the worst suited person, chosen out of favoritism, rather than skills.

Her brother never stopped to listen to her, and the only time he did, Rinne wished he had never done it.

"I will never join you or your army. Every single day of my life, I regret to wake up and think that my beloved Aurora is in your hands. If you are in Aurora, I have no place to go, no home. I have no sister. Now, leave me alone, _stranger_ ," he finished, spitting at her face before walking away.

Yukimura listened to her, growing upset with each passing second as he listened how the Warlord, the girl in his arms, had been dishonored and ridiculed by the jealousy of a powerless man who was her brother. It had never occurred to her brother that his failure of a sister could have become the same Warlord who directly opposed Nobunaga. And now, that strong and determined Warlord had been reduced to tears, his poisonous words causing her more damage than any she had received in battle. He had so much to say, but he considered his words carefully. Even if Rinne's brother was a most despicable and pitiful man, it was still her family and she still considered him part of it, despite her brother's opinion of her.

"Lady Rinne," he began, "I apologize for not being there, to stop that man from uttering those insults towards you."

She shook her head forcefully, squinting her eyes, causing her tears to fall. "You don't have to apologize, Yukimura… I… I believe he is ri-"

"No, he is not," Yukimura interjected, shaking his head in disapproval. "A brother or sister should never refer to his flesh and blood like that. Even after fighting and quarrelling, siblings should support and love each other. I am afraid to say that he is not someone worthy enough to be called 'Brother' by you, Lady Rinne."

"I…" She lowered her head, as Yukimura's soft voice rang through her ears.

"I cannot refer to you as my sister, but I can refer to you as the Warlord I pledged my loyalty to. Ever since you recruited me in Terrera, I have seen what you have been and are capable of." He patted her head as he talked. "You are still young, but I see clearly your kindness and genuine wish and determination to bring this land to peace. I am glad to be able to follow someone like you. I am sure the other Warlords who have joined you think the same."

He broke the hug, but didn't move apart from her. His eyes met her tear-stained face, as she continued to weep. Her eyes were already puffy and her nose was crimson for all the time she had been crying, a couple of hours now.

He cupped her face with his hands and brushed away her tears with his thumbs. He seemed to do a poor job, as he had to repeat the action twice, making her chuckle weakly. He smiled warmly at her, taking her hands with his own, still wet from her tears. She returned a faint, shy smile, looking at him meekly.

"Thank you, Yukimura."


	4. Flowers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one goes around floriography, the language of flowers, the meanings flowers have. It can be used to express feelings to some situations, to send secret messages or to impress someone. It was big in the Victorian-era, but there is still some charm to it.

In the middle of a massive beautiful garden, in a courtyard, some unusual noises broke the normal silence that reigned there. Two young energetic people were sparring there alongside their Pokemon. They were none other than Yukimura Sanada and his Emboar against Kanetsugu Naoe and his Gardevoir. The sun was shining and the sky was clear, perfect for a noon stroll or a friendly match, as the Warlords had thought. They were too focused in their fight to notice that they weren't the only ones who had decided to enjoy the gardens and the excellent weather. A group of ladies, Rinne Hanamura, Oichi, and the dragged-against-her-will Ginchiyo Tachibana were passing by, paying attention to the flowers grown there, the pride and joy of Motonari's castle in Greenleaf.

It was the middle of the spring and everyone had traveled there to enjoy one of the most impressive views in Ransei. Several had mentioned that even setting foot there could make anyone feel at peace with themselves. Motonari himself had encouraged them to take a small break and sent the younger warriors while he, Shingen, and Kenshin kept guard in their frontlines in Terrera and Illusio.

"It is not good for an army to be so tense all the time. You should go and relax a little," he said.

Obviously he meant 'Enjoy the views of my greenhouse' and not 'fight until you die of exhaustion', which was exactly what Yukimura and Kanetsugu were doing. Ginchiyo would have done something similar as well if it hadn't been for Oichi and Rinne, who came across her and managed to convince her to go for a stroll in the gardens. The same gardens where the two Junior Warlords and their Pokemon were fighting.

"I love flowers," Oichi stated as she leaned close to smell a lilac flower, most likely lavender. "They are beautiful and looking at them soothes my spirit."

Ginchiyo almost nodded before she stopped herself and stared at one small rosebud, which had just begun to bloom. It looked so fragile, so unnoticed in garden full of blossoms. She moved her hand and gently touched the tiny red petals that started to be in view. Oichi smiled as she saw Ginchiyo admiring the flowers. The most prideful and fierce lady Warlord in Ransei would never say in front of anyone that she liked something like gardening or flowers. She'd think admitting such hobbies would be unbecoming of the Tachibana and injure her own pride as the leader of her clan. Then, something occurred to Oichi.

"Lady Ginchiyo, Lady Rinne, do you know about the language of flowers?"

"I've heard some things about it, but they are not of interest to me," Ginchiyo replied.

Rinne, on the other hand, didn't answer. She stared at the middle of the courtyard, where Kanetsugu and Yukimura were sparring. Emboar and Gardevoir were resting, observing their masters exchange blows, still too engaged in their match to notice anything about the world around them.

Seeing Rinne's mind was somewhere else, Oichi tapped on Rinne's shoulder, making her snap out and come back to her senses.

"Huh! Wha…? Yeah, flowers are something…" she hastily replied, realizing she had spaced out.

"Lady Rinne, do you know about the language of flowers?" Oichi tried again, with a smile.

Rinne cleared her throat, trying to conceal her embarrassment. "Do you mean things like roses mean love and that stuff?"

Oichi nodded as she walked towards a patch full of yellow tulips. "For example, these flowers mean hopeless love." She then walked towards some carnations of different colors. "Carnations have different meanings, depending on their color. Mixed colors mean 'pride and beauty', while pink ones mean 'I will never forget you'. Red Carnations mean 'pure love' and white ones mean 'endearment'."

Oichi moved towards some bulbs next to where Rinne was standing, and she stroke carefully one. This one is small, but it'll become a beautiful violet."

Rinne, completely impressed and caught by Oichi's lecture on flowers, gaped at the girl in total awe. "Wow, you know a lot. You even recognize flowers and bulbs and know all their names! All I know is that they are pretty and have petals."

Ginchiyo, folding her arms, approached Oichi. "Surely, this knowledge has some use," she casually stated.

Oichi replied as she clasped her hands, "Of course! You can send messages to people as a way to convey your feelings, like giving the person you love a bouquet of roses. In funerals, people usually give white lilies to mean mourning. But you already knew this, I'm sure, Lady Ginchiyo."

"I do not know what you are talking about," Ginchiyo said defiantly, still folding her arms, almost protectively against her chest and looked away. Oichi had to bit her inner lip to prevent herself from chuckling.

"So…" Rinne looked at the two women, as she casted side glances to the courtyard. Yukimura's spear was driving Kanetsugu back, but Kanetsugu didn't seem worried at all. "So… if I were to send these flowers to someone, what would they mean?" she said, pointing at some deep red flowers which looked like hearts with something yellow in the middle.

"Oh, Lady Rinne, you'd not want to send those…" Oichi said, in a lower voice than usual. Seeing Rinne's dumbfounded face, she cleared her throat as she was looking for the appropriate words. Rinne looked at her, even more confused. _It looks like a cute, red heart. What is wrong with that?_ , she thought.

"Look at the spike, the yellow part, of the flower closely," Ginchiyo said. Rinne got closer to the flowers, and tilted her head. Immediately, her face flushed deep red, a color which only intensified when Ginchiyo stated plainly, "It's an _Anthurium_ , it means 'lust'."

"I-I didn't mean! I-I thought they were cute! I swear I don't-!" Rinne looked again at the flowers, and turned away completely mortified at the serious innuendo she innocently had been about to make. If she had given him that flower… She covered her face with her hands.

They eventually resumed looking at the flowers, as they walked through the garden. Blue, red, white, pink. Yellow, lilac, orange. Flowers of all colors, shapes, sizes, and even fragrances, spread across the green grass and bushes across them. Motonari had all the right to feel proud of his garden, it was a view that only few things in Ransei could compare to. As they walked, Ginchiyo demanded the names of the flowers they had in front of them. Oichi complied without questioning and even included the meanings. Hawthorn means 'hope'. Iris can be used to convey a message. Heathers are good to wish good luck to someone. Bright colored Anemones mean 'forsaken' while small, adorable Yarrows meant 'war'. The white or dark purple Angelica flowers mean inspiration, maybe because their oddly-shaped blossoms encourage oneself to break through normal conventions. Night-blooming cereus mean transient beauty, fitting as the beautiful flowers only bloom at night and have short-lived lifespans. A dozen of Oleanders, magenta, almost friendly-looking flowers, means in reality 'caution'.

Just as they were back to where they started, Rinne absent-mindedly asked, "Can you say you are like a flower?" Her eyes were staring neither at Oichi nor Ginchiyo, but at the courtyard. Kanetsugu had managed to fence off Yukimura's attacks, and, with a combination of his holy slips and his sword play drove Yukimura back. Yukimura could only block some of Kanetsugu's attacks. She unconsciously brought her hands, clutched into fists, to her chest.

"Yes, they can, Lady Rinne. For example, if I may, Lady Ginchiyo, you'd be like a Cardinal Flower," Oichi said.

Ginchiyo looked at Oichi, almost hinting for an explanation. The name was vaguely familiar, but between the dozens of flowers and meanings, Oichi couldn't expect her to remember that uncommon one. Oichi gave her an understanding smile, as she walked.

"If you come with me, please."

Ginchiyo followed her suit, but turned back and saw Rinne standing in the same spot, unaware they were moving.

"Hanamura," she said.

She flinched at her last name being called, turning to look at an impatient Ginchiyo, hinting her to move. Blushing slightly as she had spaced out, not that it wasn't the third or fourth time already, she ran towards Ginchiyo and followed her obediently. However, she kept trying to look in the corner of her eye and get some glances of the battle.

The three women formed a line, with Oichi at the front, followed by Ginchiyo and then Rinne. Oichi was trying to remember where she'd seen the Cardinal flowers, so she stopped in the intersections of the gardens, trying to see where they were. However, more than once had Rinne walked into Ginchiyo, as she was too into the fight to look in front of her, earning some scolding from the female Warlord.

When Oichi had finally figured out where the Cardinal flowers were, she showed them to the girls. "This flower means 'Pride'. Look at how the flowers, the blossoms, stand tall, defying gravity. I believe it suits you, Lady Ginchiyo."

Ginchiyo leaned closer at the tall flowers, with long, star-shaped red petals, as if she analyzed whether Oichi was right. The flower, its meaning, she couldn't deny it was an accurate description of what she strived to be.

Oichi continued, "There are other flowers that mean pride, for example, Amarylis and roses."

"Roses?" Rinne asked, for once paying attention, or as much as she could spare right then. She pondered in silence about why roses could mean pride. "Does it have to do with how they have torns, so not everyone can get close to them? Like they are special."

Oichi shrugged as she smiled warmly at Rinne. "I am afraid I don't know."

"But… Hmph…" she continued, "I think the other one, the, um, _cardigan_ one was better. I mean, you are sometimes scary and stern but you aren't a bad person. And, so, you are something more than a clichéd ice queen or 'thorn' queen from stories…" she said thoughtfully.

"What is that supposed to mean?" said Ginchiyo sternly, her fierce tone made Rinne give some steps back and avoid her eyes completely.

With her hands in front of her chest, she added hastily, "I-I didn't mean it like that! You are kinda scary but… like… I, I mean… You are scary but nice but… Ah! I'm sorry!"

After staying some seconds in silence and waiting for Ginchiyo to stop staring at her, completely terrified by the Warlord, Rinne eventually looked away, fixing her gaze in the courtyard. Kanetsugu and Yukimura were battling, but it was clear that the showdown was almost over.

Ginchiyo turned from Rinne, who didn't even blink so that she'd not miss anything, to Oichi, and asked, "So which flower would she be?"

Suddenly, Yukimura charged at Kanetsugu and flung his spear upwards. Kanetsugu, not in time to dodge it, used his sword to protect himself from the blow. However, Yukimura didn't aim at him but at the very weapon; his spear struck with full force against it. The impact, too much for Kanetsugu's grip, caused his sword to be thrown upwards and eventually fall some meters away from the men. It was Yukimura's victory. Rinne's eyes widened as her lips curved into a big smile, her face flustered. She even let out a small squeal.

"Hmmmm… I wonder," Oichi replied playfully, glancing casually at Rinne.

Without saying anything to the two women, Rinne ran to the courtyard. As soon as she approached the men, she told something to Kanetsugu and then turned to Yukimura. Whatever she was saying, she looked absolutely ecstatic, smiling brightly at the victor.

"A sunflower," Oichi said, with a knowing smile.

"The flower which is always looking at the sun…" Ginchiyo continued, as they both looked at Yukimura getting slightly flustered as he was being hugged by Rinne for his victory.


	5. Puzzle No 1.

It was 35°C outside and all she wanted was to cool off. The heat was bothering so much she was having trouble making even simple additions and multiplications. Accounting was never fun to her, and with the dry heat, it seemed to be hell for her. She wanted to cool down, relax and wait until it was night to focus on it. Maybe Motonari would help her, since Statistics and Math were never her strong suit. She wished Terrera had a fountain or a pool, or some place that didn't feel like hell. How the others, especially Shingen and Yukimura, weren't dying of dehydration under those many layers of clothes was beyond her. Vaporeon was most likely in her room, fighting against the heat. Maybe she should ask it to help her cool. Water attacks would come in handy in that moment.

So, she forced herself to stand up, leave the meeting room and walk to her bedroom. However, she had not even put a foot outside the room, when some strange noises caught her attention. They weren't loud, but she could hear them clearly. They almost had a rhythmical pattern; she wondered if someone was trying to play an instrument.

She followed the noise, trying to figure out what it was. It seemed to her as if someone was hitting two wooden sticks together, but she then wondered who would even do that. The noises were clearer and louder, she was close. As quietly as possible, she moved closer until she arrived to a door. Whatever it was, it was behind the _shoji_ door, on the wooden veranda that lead to the central garden. Carefully, she slide the door open and saw it.

A little Krokorok, busy smacking a wooden cylinder against the veranda.

The Krokorok, which hadn't noticed her presence, looked familiar. Not too sharp, but pretty energetic as the small dents in the floor could attest.

"So, where is Masanori, Krokorok?" she called. The little Pokemon turned, surprised and almost dropped the wooden cylinder it was carrying. Then, after noticing it was Rinne, it resumed to its activity of permanently damaging the floor.

She took the object from its paws, and the Pokemon started making a fuss. "Hey, you can't do that, you'll damage the floor!" she said, but Krokorok didn't stop and roared, jumping to catch the thing off her hands. She had to raise her hand above her head. "Masanori will get in trouble if someone finds you doing this!"

At those words, the Dark Pokemon shut up and sat on the floor. Now that it was still, she sat next to it, and asked, "So what were you doing with this thing?" She looked at it and then she realized it was a toy. It was a wooden cylinder with the bases connected between each other by 4 thin round sticks. Inside the cylinder, there was a big, red cube. She recognized it, it was a puzzle similar to the 'Hedgehog in the Cage'.

"Are you trying to solve this?" she asked, as she pointed at the toy. Krokorok nodded and then started crying, telling her the whole story.

Three days ago, Mitsunari, Kiyomasa, and Masanori were talking about their best quality. Mitsunari prided himself over his intelligence and started mocking Masanori. Masanori fought back, and eventually, they started a fight. Nothing unusual. However, Mitsunari and Kiyomasa then came up with something: Mitsunari would take back his words, calling Masanori an idiot, if he was able to solve a puzzle. The little toy she was now holding.

"So, all he has to do is solve it?" she said, as she looked at the puzzle, with a curious smile plastered in her face. Krokorok nodded agitatedly. "And you tried to help him?" She patted its head, "But you should be careful. You harmed the floor a little, but most importantly, you almost broke the toy. You shouldn't do that again."

The Pokemon sulked down and played with its paws. She then snorted and laughed a little. "I'm not angry or anything. And if you don't say a thing, I won't say anything as well." She eyed the puzzle, and then smiled at Krokorok, as she said, "Would you want some help to solve the puzzle?"

After Krokorok nodded eagerly, finally able to realize how to solve it so as to tell its Master what to do, she moved so that she was in front of it. She held the toy in front of Krokorok.

"The goal is to take out the cube without breaking the cylinder." She moved her index and middle finger, as well as her thumb inside the cylinder through one of the gaps it had, and held the red cube. "The cube is too big to take it between these gaps if you hold it like this," she said, as she did as she told, pulling the cube with her fingers, to no avail. It was so big it got stuck in between the wooden sticks. "This is why you have to hold it like this." She flicked a little the cylinder, so it was now at an angle, then she shook lightly the toy. The cube fell out of the cylinder, going through one of the gaps. She reinserted the cube, and repeated the move three times, for Krokorok to see. After that, she handed the toy to Krokorok. "It's important that you have it at that angle, so that the cube is in the best position to fall. Even if it doesn't fall in the first try, if you shake it gently as I held it, it'll fall."

Krokorok imitated her moves, holding the toy carefully, then inclined it and 'bam', the cube fell out. Then, Krokorok put the cube back into the cylinder, and cried happily. She smiled at the little Pokemon, it seemed so cheerful to know the trick. Before she could say anything more, Krokorok stood up and ran away into the castle, most likely to find Masanori. She let out a sigh and shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, I hope Masanori gets to solve it," she said, stretching her arms. As she was feeling her body relax, she suddenly remembered the dents on the wooden floor. "Crap, if someone sees me here, they'll think I did it. Time to go." And with that, she quickly stood up and ran towards her room.


	6. Massage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yukata are casual kimono worn in summer, made of cotton. Similar as kimono, the person doesn't wear any Occidental underwear when dressing in one. They wrap around the body and use the obi sash to hold it. They are traditionally seen in anime, especially in episodes that feature summer festivals.
> 
> Seiza position is that in which Japanese people kneel, then sit so that they fold their legs under their thighs and their ankles are supporting their bottoms. Their back is kept straight. It was important in the past, one of the proper ways of sitting, but its usage has declined, only used in formal occassions like tea ceremonies. It can strain the knees and foreigners as well as modern Japanese people can't stay in that position for a long time.

It was a clear, sunny day, perfect to those who just wanted to lie in the grass, under a tree, and watch the clouds in the sky. It was an excellent opportunity to take a break from one's activities and enjoy the scenery, the cool breeze against the warmed skin bathed by the sunlight. Those who passed by the training grounds would bump into the fierce, earnest warlord Yukimura Sanada, as he was leaving the field. The sight of the crimson-clad young man would make anyone think that even he couldn't resist the charms of the fine weather.

Followed closely by Pignite, the young man walked slowly towards the castle, his room was his destination. His walk, normally energetic and strong, but disciplined, was lacking his usual enthusiasm, dragging his feet while slightly slouching. His heavy footsteps resounded in the hall as he drew closer to his room, he was surprisingly wishing to take off his armor, something that had never happened before. Counting the minutes it'd take him to get to the second floor was a torture and only Pignite was witness of it. The Pokemon was fully concerned of its master, but found itself unable to help him except for little signs of support.

Eventually they both reached their bedroom. With a swift movement, Yukimura unfastened the knots of his armor, his white _haori_ fell on the floor, followed by his heavy shoulder and breastplates, making a louder noise than he wanted. Whatever he expected after taking his armor didn't happen, as a disappointed frown flashed across his face. Silently apologizing to whomever that had been surprised or bothered by his indiscretion, he picked up his armor and arranged it with care next to his bed. Then, he wore a _yukata_ , a red one unsurprisingly, but seemingly comfortable to withstand the heat.

Minutes later, the young warrior could be seen again in the garden swinging his spear, while a worried Pignite sat under a tree. Yukimura's stern expression stayed the same despite having changed what he was wearing. Something was bothering him, enough of a nuisance to interrupt his training every five or ten minutes. After an hour of little results and the insistence of his companion to just stop for that day, the young warrior finally decided to return and go to one of the common rooms, in search of something to distract him for the rest of the day.

On his way back, he met his friend Kanetsugu Naoe, who seemed unusually surprised to see Yukimura taking the day off. Even more so, when a friendly match request by Kanetsugu was politely declined.

"I am afraid I'm not in my best condition to fight," Yukimura had replied, ashamed of being forced to turn down such request.

Kanetsugu looked at his friend, shocked by the phrase Yukimura had just muttered. In all the time they had known each other, Yukimura had never refused to train or have a sparring contest against anyone. Suddenly, an idea flashed across his head, as he looked at Yukimura and smiled at him. "I understand, Yukimura! Always so honorable and dutiful."

Yukimura gave a confused look at Kanetsugu, who seemed to nod to himself. The red warrior was lost on whatever Kenshin's pupil had thought, but he had a certain feeling that he hadn't made himself clear, somehow.

"It's fine! I won't tell Lord Shingen you ditched your training to have a day off. Normally I would denounce someone running away from their duties, but this fine day has charmed you as well and you are always fulfilling your role. Yukimura, your secret is safe with me."

And before Yukimura could even open his mouth to protest, Kanetsugu went on his way, most likely to read one of his favorite books under a tree. Not pleased with the way his words were taken, he frowned. He wasn't training because he didn't want to. He shook his head, as we continued his march to a living room. Just as he slid the _tatami_ door open, he was greeted by a familiar, perky voice.

"Ah, Lord Yukimura!"

Kunoichi and Scraggy were walking down the hallway, rushing to meet their master as soon as they spotted him and Pignite. Then, Kunoichi's eyes widened and a small smile formed in her lips as she noticed the unusual clothing he was wearing.

"Lord Yukimura, perhaps have you decided to enjoy this day?" she asked happily, almost radiantly.

Yukimura shook his head as one of his hands reached unconsciously his neck. "I am afraid I have been forced to put my training on hold." He let out a wary sigh.

"You shouldn't say that! You are always working so hard, you should take this chance to relax, my lord," she said enthusiastically, as suddenly something occurred to her. "My lord, maybe you'd like to go to the town? It's a fine day outside and I was thinking perhaps…" Her voice faded away, as a sheepish smiled formed in her lips and she had to stop herself from playing with her fingers.

"I thank you for the offer, but I'd rather stay inside for the rest of the day."

"Ah…" trying to mask her dejection, the ninja girl took out a deep breath and then bowed. "In that case, we'll let you be, Lord Yukimura!" And with that, in the next second, both Scraggy and Kunoichi were gone.

Yukimura stared for a second at the place where Kunoichi had been seconds ago and shrugged. She was always like that, paying attention to him, and he was grateful for her good job. Still, he was bothered. He didn't want to take the day off, he couldn't, but everyone seemed to think otherwise. It might not seem like much to everyone else, but he prided himself secretly in his training and fulfilling his duty.

However, there wasn't anything he could do. Therefore, he entered the room in front of him and scanned it quickly. There were some books lying on a table, maybe he could try reading. He had never been much of a reader, but he could at least try. He sat next to the table and picked one of the books randomly, opening it in the beginning. He somehow missed the pair of legs on the other side of the table, as he started what it seemed to be a fantasy novel. Pignite on the other hand did notice they were not alone, but at the request of the other person, a finger before their lips, the Fire Pokemon kept quiet. It was more its wish to not interrupt his master, however.

The book was confusing to Yukimura, as several characters had been talking about some sort of dragon, and he was having a tough time following the story. He found himself rereading the first three pages, as he could barely remember who was who doing what. Minutes passed and he grew discontent with the story, he had gotten nowhere and he didn't know what was going on. At some point, he realized he felt he was being watched, a faint feeling but he dismissed it as he attempted to continue the story. Then, just as he scratched his head, then rubbed his neck, he heard a small chuckle from the other side of the table. Dumbfounded, he put down the book and noticed that Rinne Hanamura was attentively staring at him, with her hand resting on her chin, visibly amused at his reactions.

"Lady Rinne? When did you get here?" he asked, surprised.

She smiled, "I've been here all along."

"M-my apologies, I did not notice you were here."

She pouted as she shook her head. "I could tell. I'm not that unnoticeable that you wouldn't tell I was here, am I?" she reclaimed, as she crossed her arms against her chest.

"S-sorry, milady…" he hurried to say. He tried to say something else, but her casual shrug made him close his mouth.

"I'm used to it, no offense taken." He could tell she sighed, but found himself unsure if he wanted to inquiry further. "Anyway, how's it going with the sequel?" She asked, as her eyes shifted from his face to the book he was holding.

He unconsciously stared at the book as well, "What do you mean…?" He paused for a second, then realization hit him. "I see… So that is why I didn't understand what was going on."

She smiled broadly, as she held one of the books on the table, pulled it close to her chest, and closing her then let herself fall to the floor. He realized that she was most likely in that position when he entered the room. Not willing to be rude, he moved closer to her, as she found her sprawled on the floor, with Eevee curled up, fast asleep under her side of the table.

She opened her eyes, meeting his confused but intrigued glance, as she chuckled again. "I like to read like this sometimes."

From Yukimura's perspective, holding up a book above one's head seemed inconvenient and not the best way to read. However, he chose to not say that aloud, out of respect of her hobbies. "I see," he said, not able to hide his slight questioning tone.

"I like your _yukata_ , it fits you well," she suddenly said, perplexing him for a second from the sudden shift between reading habits to his clothes. She pointed at the garment, and added, "Red really suits you, I like it." It took her some seconds to point at it, accidentally pointing at his face, as she was looking at him upside down. She found herself amused at the change of scenery, which made her smile.

Meanwhile, Yukimura was clueless on what he could reply or how he could accept the comment. Part of him told him it could be a compliment, but he wasn't entirely sure. He certainly didn't want to make a statement and discover he had misunderstood her. He sat as straight as he could, before he found his body slightly slouching, earning a worried look from Pignite.

Rinne, still looking at him from the floor, arched an eyebrow. "So you aren't wearing the _yukata_ because of choice, right? How long has your neck been hurting?"

Yukimura blinked, surprised, as his hand went to his neck, trying to soothe the pain. "How did you…?"

"Well," she brought a finger to her lips. "You always sit straight and can stay in that position for a long time, but… right now, you can't stay like that for more than seconds. And you never, ever, slouch. Oh, and I could hear your footsteps. You were dragging your feet. At first I thought you were Shingen, he drags when he walks, yours is more like a march… You seem tired."

He slouched again, then, sat straight, fully conscious of her description just now. However, he couldn't mask a small unpleasant frown, caused by the uncomfortable sensation in his shoulders, something that had been bothering him all day long.

"I guess that and the rubbing your neck thing also says a lot," she added casually. Getting up the floor, and sitting as straight as she could, she asked, "Your armor weights a lot, right? I can bet you my entire collection of books that you took it off thinking you would feel better."

Yukimura nodded silently. It was true it was heavy, but he was used to it. He normally didn't mind it, but as time went by, he would begin to feel the weight and develop a sore back and neck. It was something common to him, and usually manageable, but there were times the pain wouldn't go away nor could be ignored as he normally did. It ashamed him to admit that.

"So, you are here because your back pain interrupted your training."

"You don't think I stopped because of the weather?"

"I wish you would," she said with a smile. "But I know you'd be dead first than taking a day off." She cleared her throat, and frowned, speaking in a deep, zealous tone, "Yukimura Sanada will train today with all his might!"

He coughed, slightly embarrassed at her impersonation of him. It wasn't spot on, he thought, but he couldn't deny there was some truth to her words.

"But I'm glad you are taking today off. You do seem tired."

He looked at her, unsure of what to say. He wasn't able to reply he was in good condition, as he felt his shoulders and back completely rigid, where the slightest movement would cause a sharp pain. The things he could do in that state were highly limited, even further with he not knowing what to do with the spare time he had right then. He had never found anything to amuse himself with on his time off. It always went to training or friendly matches. However, he hadn't really stopped to ask himself if he was tired, or if he felt tired. Sometimes, he felt his body grow heavy, but he usually 'fixed' that by sparring or taking short breaks. He thought it was natural that as time went by, his shoulders would become a little tense.

Rinne noticed he had gone quiet and worried for a second if she had said something that would be interpreted badly, as she knew she was quite good at it, much to her dismay. She had prided herself a little in reading him and figuring out he had back pain. The last thing she wanted was to be replied that he felt in top shape and she had misinterpreted his actions and body language or being told she was prying too much. Clearing her throat, and hoping to switch the topic slightly, she asked "So, you plan to take the day off, hoping tomorrow you'll feel better?"

He nodded slowly, enduring another jab in the back of his neck. That was his plan, but he wasn't so certain it would work as well and that he'd feel better so easily.

"Let me take a look," she said. Before he could answer, she was already kneeling behind him with her fingers pressed lightly against his neck. However, he didn't know if it was her presence behind him or the wariness her action could injure him that he leaned forward brusquely, groaning quietly in pain.

"I didn't even touch you…" she mumbled as she frowned, a mix of confusion, worry and slight annoyance mixed in her face. His overreaction at first startled her, slightly offending her, but then she realized maybe Yukimura was either too wary of someone else touching him or…

He ran his hand on the back of his neck, a silly way to prevent her from touching him again, as he said, "I'll be fine, Lady Rinne. It's noth- _ack_!"

Just as he was talking, she pressed her index finger against his shoulder and an unpleasant stabbing sensation spread from the place she had touched through his shoulders, almost making him think she had stabbed him with something.

"Sure, ' _I'll be fine_ '," she said, not outright mocking him, but with a hint of sarcasm, which he never expected her to use.

"Please… I'll ask you to refrain from-" he stopped abruptly as he saw her moving next to him, and she pressed a finger against his arm. He expected her to jab her finger the same way he thought she had done on his shoulder, but nothing. He felt the pressure she applied, nothing enough to cause any pain, as she went all the way from his arm to his hand. Not once it hurt. Then, she turned at him, giving him a serious look.

"This is the same pressure I used in your shoulder."

He stared back, perplexed, then turned to the arm she had been poking. There were no traces or marks of what she had done, no pain. Was she so sure that she used the same force?

Almost as if she had read his mind, with a slightly offended tone she replied, "I can do the same thing going upwards to your arm and prove it is the same, but it'll hurt."

"No!" he quickly interjected, making her scowl. "It's not necessary…"

"I'm not doing it to injure you," she said, upset, as she turned away. "I was just trying to help," she muttered under her breath.

He heard her words and felt remorseful over his reaction. She was trying to see what was wrong with him, even if her methods were too brusque or if she was invading his private space. He couldn't help thinking he was being ungrateful.

Trying to make amends with her, with a more polite and careful tone, he asked, "What do you mean, Lady Rinne?"

"Your back is too tense, same as your shoulders. I needed to see how bad it was," she replied, and for a second, he could swear her voice was colder than usual. "I wasn't going to jab my fingers at your shoulder," she added. He lowered his gaze, looking at the floor.

She looked away, the scowl still in her face. "You need to relax your muscles or the pain won't go away."

He turned at her, noticing her frown, something that made him perplexed. He was clueless at what he had done that would earn such a cold reply, but still felt responsible for it. "I usually train when the pain is too much. Train with more breaks that usual."

At his explanation, she gaped at him, wondering if he had just been joking. The dumbfounded look she shot at him made him wonder if he had said something wrong. He wasn't the relaxing type, he just did what he knew to do. Still looking at him, he felt as the guilty party for some reason, she said, "Training won't help the pain, it'll make it worse! You need to relax, not… I guess that is why your back is like it is now."

Now he didn't know why she got so worked up over his back. It hurt, he couldn't move, but it was something that happened. He was willing to make amends for whatever he had done, until the words " _You need a massage_ " left her mouth. He immediately shook his head in response to them, causing him to wince in pain. It was an involuntary reaction for him, and his reaction only caused her scowl to deepen.

"I-I will be fine…" he interjected weakly, to which she looked away again. He knew she was trying to make him feel better and he was grateful for that. But he wouldn't get a massage. Not after last time.

Rinne felt so frustrated that she wanted to scream. She could see he was in bad condition and the easiest and best way to help him was with a massage. She had some experience, at least with Pokemon, but she knew the basics. She could try to do something, but his blatant refusal hurt her. She was trying hard to not take it personal, but she was failing, as Yukimura would just refuse but not say anything else. He usually accepted things from others, especially when Kunoichi or Shingen or Kanetsugu asked him, but her attempt was so blatantly dismissed. Bothered by this, she just wanted to leave. She got up, clearly annoyed, "In that case, I guess there is nothing I have to do here."

It was Pignite, who had been silently watching them, that stopped her from leaving, or rather, storming out of the room. The Fire Pokemon tugged the girl's skirt, causing her to look down. Her angry face then faded, as she realized the little Pokemon was trying to tell her something, privately. She knelt down, and lent her ear, to which the Pokemon whispered something. Yukimura could only wonder what his companion was saying, as he saw her face changed to a painful, then a distressed look. After Pignite was done, Rinne glanced at Yukimura, worry written all over her face.

"I-I… I didn't know, I am sorry," she apologized, as she tucked her bangs behind her ear nervously, suddenly feeling embarrassed and guilty for lashing at him.

He was still in the dark, but as he saw his Pignite bow in apology, he realized the topic. It was his turn to frown, not angry at the Pokemon, but at the fact that something he was ashamed to admit had been told.

"I am sorry…" she apologized again, quietly. "I didn't know you had a painful experience with massages before…" She was playing with her hands and skirt, embarrassed to look at him, the sensation of having pried too much on his privacy and treating him badly weighted on her shoulders.

He let out a sigh, as much as he wanted that to be a secret between the involved people, now he saw little use to keep quiet about it. Before speaking, he motioned Pignite to come closer, which the Pokemon did, wary and remorseful for sharing private things of its master to someone else against his wishes. Yukimura's face softened as he patted the Pokemon's head.

"You did it for my sake, didn't you, Pignite?" he told his partner before taking a deep breath.

It had happened two years ago. Kai of Cragspur was visiting Terrera at the same time he experienced a similar problem he had now. Both Kai and Kunoichi had learned of it and insisted on giving him a massage, which he had accepted. He had never had one before and thought it'd be rude to refuse the offer, also hopeful that it'd help his back. After making him change into a towel, and asking him to lay on a bed, the two girls started arguing on who would start.

Kunoichi won and started her business, rubbing his back and shoulders energetically. The first minutes it felt decent enough, until she picked up the pace, rubbing too hard on sore spots of his back, causing him unexpected pain that he tried to mask, unsuccessfully. Then, Kai exposed Kunoichi's actions and decided to take over, hitting his back relentlessly in what she thought were good moves to soothe his back ache. He didn't have the heart to say that in fact, he felt his entire body being punched by an Ursaring, but his expression betrayed his stoic façade he was trying to pull. Then, everything went to hell for him.

The rest of the massage session Kunoichi and Kai fought over who gave the best massage, on his already sore body. For an hour, he endured more beatings than he had in his recent battles, punches and rough rubs disguised as massage, pinching his back as they tried to get rid of the knots of his back but only causing more harm than good. Eventually, the battle was declared null, he couldn't choose a winner and the girls left to continue bickering. All he knew was that he had lost completely, not feeling even relieved of his back pain and had to endure three weeks of the results of their 'relaxing session'. From that day on, he bowed to just keep his back pain to himself until he figured out a way to make it go away or just ignore it until he stopped feeling it.

Rinne listened to his story attentively, having gotten the general idea from Pignite, but not the finer details that made her cringe. While Yukimura tried to be his stoic self, some of his movements, like his unconscious neck-rubbing action whenever he said something that must have been painful to him told a different story. His face would sometimes show pain, as he recalled the memories, the only thing she could liken it was being battered like a ragged doll and then thrown away. She felt ashamed of herself and her treatment of him, most notably on her tone when she asked him if there was anything she could do.

"I think I'm good at massages," she said, but with a slight wondering question. "I can give you one but… I don't know if you'd want any after what happened." She wanted to sound confident, she didn't feel particularly proud of herself overall, but when it dealt to things she knew, she was sure of her skills. Except that this time, the notion of failure made her nervous. She didn't want to open her mouth and then fail spectacularly.

Yukimura, on the other hand, wasn't really enthusiastic by her idea. It wasn't that he didn't trust her completely, or maybe it had a little to do, but he was wary that this second session would end like the first one. However, part of him felt guilty for judging her skills without any proof. After minutes of silent deliberation, moved by the duty he had due her offer, he accepted. He was quietly mustering all of his courage and willpower to stay stoic, should the situation arise.

Rinne wasn't so dense to realize he was doing it more for her than for him. As awkward as she felt with the situation, she had to go on with it. Scratching her neck, she said with a nervous laugh, "Um, so… Ok, if you want so. I think we should just do it casual…?"

"Casual?"

"I mean, not with a full blown massage? Just shoulders and neck, maybe your hands too…" She looked at their surroundings. She could work with that, and it'd help if he felt uncomfortable. Then, something caught her attention.

Yukimura was unfastening the _obi_ -knot of his _yukata_ , making her blush as she quickly looked away. "Wha-wh-what are you doing?!"

The warrior stared at her confused, stopping midway, his belt not unfastened completely. "I thought I had to take off my clothes?"

She frantically tugged her hair behind her ears as she bit her lip, "No, I mean yes, I mean, it's up to you, what makes you more comfortable…"

Yukimura closed his eyes, trying to recall what had happened that day, the moments when he wasn't agonizing in pain. "But Lady Kai had said I had to… Or I wouldn't be able to feel better?"

"She did?"

"Kunoichi said something too, but then she said I had to, I'd not be able to relax with my clothes."

Rinne stared at Yukimura, as a stern expression flashed across her face. She knew there was some truth to what he had said, but something told her that asking him to take his clothes off wasn't entirely for his relaxation. She tried to hide the frown she was making as she huffed quietly. She imagined Kunoichi and Kai convincing Yukimura to take off his clothes and… She shut her eyes, biting her tongue just to prevent herself from saying anything.

"Lady Rinne?" he cautiously asked, after she had grown quiet, confused about what he had done as she suddenly seemed displeased.

"It's nothing," she grumbled, as she puffed out her cheeks.

He didn't understand and was almost going to ask again if there was something bothering her, as she clearly seemed upset about something. However, her reaction at his question was strong enough to consider how good prying further would be. Instead, he cleared his throat and said, "In that case, would you mind if I stayed on my _yukata_?"

At the sight of her negative response, he almost sighed relieved. While he had agreed to do it back then, he had felt all the time uncomfortable as sometimes he sensed the women staring at him for too long. He couldn't bring himself up to ask them to stop looking at him so intensively and just endured it but… It wasn't something he enjoyed at all.

"We can do it here," she said, as she picked up the books and papers lying on the table.

Yukimura's eyes went from the table to her, as he wondered if she expected him to lie on the table. "Should I rest on the table?" he asked, with a subtle skeptical tone.

"What I'll do won't need it. You can just sit as straight as you can or lean on the table, though I think you'd be uncomfortable. Also, maybe you'd avoid sitting in _seiza_ position?"

"Is there a problem if I sit in that position?"

"Well, you are taller than me, so in that position, you'll be even taller even if I kneel… And after a while, you'll relax so maybe you should sit in a position that doesn't stress much your knees?"

"Should I sit with my legs crossed?" he asked, as he switched the position. He wasn't really sure how his sitting would affect the massage or his body, but he thought that he should just obey quietly. Then, a thought crossed his mind, "Milady, you have done this before, right?"

"Yes, with Pokemon, why?"

He glanced at her, unsure if he should voice his doubts. He wanted to trust her but he was not so comfortable with the idea of being what it seemed a test subject. Back then, both women had assured him they knew what they were doing and the results weren't pretty.

She huffed, "I know what I'm doing!" He avoided doing any movement that might show any sign of suspicion or skepticism, even though he was feeling that. "I'll have you know, Pokemon are far more delicate than humans in terms of massages."

He wasn't one to pry on debates, nor thought himself to be a smart man, but he couldn't help but wonder how she could say that. "But how could you know that, if you haven't done it with a man before?" he said.

At his words, she flushed, his wording in that sentence was so wrong. "I just have a hunch, ok?"

He was leaving his well-being to a hunch. He took a deep breath, trying to think of the situation as a challenge he had to overcome to improve himself. However, when he felt her hands on his shoulders, he couldn't help but shiver and lean forward.

She sighed as she moved next to him. "You have to try and sit still. But it's important to tell me if you feel uncomfortable. We can stop at any time, whenever you say you just want it over. I'll try to not injure you, but you have to trust me." She looked at him straight in the eye, as he stared back, with mixed feelings on the matter.

He thought for a moment, and after taking a deep breath and clearing his mind, he just decided what he should do, trust her. "My apologies, milady. Please, continue."

She felt her cheeks warm up as he gave his approval and moved back behind him. She couldn't mess this up, she had to concentrate and get the job done properly. She started by fitting the behind of his _yukata_. She'd work with him wearing it, so she had to be careful of the pressure applied, as well as the folds the clothing would make. Her hands timidly rested on his shoulders, almost as if she was having second thoughts on the matter. But she couldn't back off. Thinking, ' _I can do this_ ', she started.

Her hands went over his back with broad, slow moves, as she got used to the _yukata_ impeding her movement. She went from his upper back until half-way through, worried she'd invade his privacy by moving her hands lower. Straight moves with irregular pressure, she kept an eye to his position. He wasn't complaining or making any remark. However, she knew she could do better. Another shot, and there she had it, even pressure as she rubbed his back with broad strokes, up and down. As she moved, she could sense some spots that were so tense, but she'd deal with those later. Right then, she wanted him just to relax.

It was an unusual sensation to him. It wasn't unpleasant at all, but he had to get used to it. Up and down he could feel her hands, gently and slowly, almost worried she'd be hurting him. He had to admit he didn't feel much relief, but little by little he noticed his muscles relaxing as she caressed him. She pressed her palms when going down, and her fingertips when going up, he could tell. As she went, his shoulders slumped a little, not holding anymore that stiff straight position he was trying to keep. It was as if his body was starting to succumb to the massage effects. He closed his eyes.

Minutes passed and Rinne had gotten enough confidence. The _yukata_ was getting in the way, but she could still feel his muscles moving as she pressed her hands. Renewed with confidence, she continued with four broad strokes, slow and tender, as she spoke quietly, "I'm going to switch to your shoulders."

He nodded and then, she moved upwards and rested her palms on his shoulders. That seemed to be tricky, as she wondered what would be the best way to do it. She tried the most basic move she knew, but the clothesmade her motions sloppy, with folds slowing her down. She was doing it lightly, so she didn't hear him groan in pain but…

"If I can help you, I can uncover my shoulders?" he asked.

"Do you mind if I just move my hands under your _yukata_? You'll just need to loosen it a little."

Nodding, Yukimura did as told, and she nervously placed her hands underneath his clothes, directly feeling his skin. It was the first time she was touching a man like that, it was a massage she reminded herself, but it didn't stop her cheeks burning. However, it worked much better. She could sense perfectly his skin and muscles, stroking him lightly to get to know how sensitive he was. After some light warm up, she tried again. She pressed her thumbs against his shoulders, upwards, in a slow circular motion, as she worked from the extremes moving to his neck. All moves were done tenderly, she knew what she was doing, making sure not a single place was left without attention.

He squinted his eyes, as whatever she had done was making the tension he was feeling go away, almost bringing a pleasurable feeling. At times her fingertips would rub his front in circles, pressing firmly, but not jabbing. Her touch was light, almost preparing him for a second round. He was right. After a start with light touches, she went again, this time, pressing a little harder. Her hands halted, waiting for his comment, if she was being too rough, but he didn't feel any pain. She continued, moving in circles all over his shoulder muscles, muscles that were tense an hour ago now started to move freely. It was his imagination most likely, but he felt she was taking away a heavy weight from him. Firm and slowly, she worked on his shoulders, strokes that were continuous and thorough.

Rinne couldn't say she wasn't enjoying it. Her heart was in fact racing frantically, as she was pouring all of her energy and focus on the massage and him. Part of her was disappointed for some reason that he was in his clothes, but another was much more relieved as she was able to concentrate better. It was just that she was getting a faint idea of his build and she… Her mind sidetracked, she shut her eyes and shook her head, trying to think of what was important. Yukimura groaned a little in pleasure, unexpectedly, putting her on edge. She couldn't hide a bright smile that formed her lips, proud that he was relaxing and enjoying it. It was a surprise to him as well, he didn't mean to, but the sigh escaped his lips. He realized he liked it, it was pleasant to him.

She took a deep breath, it was time to get rid of some of his knots. She prayed silently that it'd work out well, if there was a point where it'd hurt it was this time. She timidly cleared her throat, making him mutter some vague answer, his thoughts were drifting away.

"I am going to work on some knots… I'll have to be rough… No, I mean, I'll press you hard and, um, it might hurt a little but it's normal! Just tell me if it's too much," she blabbed nervously.

"Wha—?" He absentmindedly asked, his head started feeling quite light and somehow thinking straight was becoming difficult.

She arranged her hair, it was ok but she had to do it, as she breathed in and out slightly flustered. Then, she remembered where one of the tensest places of him was. She bit her lower lip as she swallowed hard. ' _Focus, focus,_ ' she thought to herself.

She rubbed the area around it, trying to relax it before dealing with the lump. She knew it was important so that the muscle would release. Fragments of Yukimura's tale flashed on her head, including some punches when trying to get rid of knots and she scowled. Her hands were shaking, she was getting worked up. She held her breath, she knew what to do, she had done it before. Ok, maybe it had been with Pokemon, but she never hurt one before. Still, the thought that she might injure Yukimura made her unusually terrified. But she was going to prove it, she had to do it.

Strokes and strokes, then, it was the real deal. She pressed her thumb on the lump on his back, her ears attentive to even the lightest detail, focused mainly on his breathing and movements. "P-please breathe," her voice cracked, sounding almost hysterical. She immediately shut her eyes in embarrassment, what a way to lose her cool.

Yukimura would be lying if he said he felt nothing. He sensed her finger jabbing, but despite expecting a sharp pain, nothing of the sort came. At most, it was a discreet mildly unpleasant sensation. Then, he heard her words. He was unsure what good would come, but he just obeyed and took a deep breath. His lungs filled with air, her hand still pressed against him and then, the muscle relaxed. Rinne could feel it, as the tiny lump just disappeared and the muscle was finally released. Ecstatic it had gone so well, she squealed aloud, both proud and absolutely relieved at it.

Yukimura tried turning around, mildly curious by her outburst. She noticed his intention and immediately pressed her hands against his back, stroking rather bashfully the area where the lump had been as she felt her cheeks burning. She had been so loud, how uncool of her. Yukimura would probably be embarrassed of her or think she was ridiculous. However, those thoughts didn't cross his mind. Her outburst, while it startled him at first, amused him greatly as a faint smile in his face could reveal. He wouldn't tell, but for a second there he thought that was cute.

Still shy about it, Rinne continued treating his knots as best as she could with the minimum squealing. Of those, only two were too stubborn and would need another session, but she had done a good job, if she could say so herself. Yukimura could attest to that, as he felt his shoulders and upper back surprisingly light, at moments he was drifting between awareness and slumber. He barely reacted as she placed her palm on the back of his neck as she pressed gently the tense muscles. However, it didn't mean he was unaware of what she was doing, as he enjoyed the way her fingers worked on his neck, feeling his tension go away, lulling him further into drowsiness. She worked up her way up, after spending several minutes on his neck, with her thumbs rubbing in circles gently his scalp. In another situation, this action would have put him unusually tense, but somehow that excitement faded as his body just succumbed to her touch. Just sitting was starting to prove difficult, with his body threatening to fall at any second.

Then he felt her fingers soothing his temples, the muscles in his forehead relaxed and he was no longer frowning. His jaw, he never thought it was tense but her moves proved him wrong as he stopped clenching it and felt released. What she did, he just didn't know, all he felt was his body light, the lightest since he could remember, dozing off in a pleasant stupor. Rinne could feel his face, his muscles relaxing under her fingers. His features, she wanted to see that expression, tension turning into relaxation, but she couldn't. She could only rely on what her fingertips felt and her ears heard. His breathing was becoming deeper and slower, he was ready to fall asleep at any minute. He had underestimated the effect the massage would have on him.

She told him something, whispering to his ear; feeling her warm breath on his ear made something inside him burning. He couldn't really focus, just hearing her voice but not understanding her words. Then, she got up and left the room, leaving him, Pignite and a still sleeping Eevee. Ghostly sensations, Yukimura could still sense her hands working on his shoulders or his neck, caressing his jaw or rubbing his temples. He had to cover his face, his eyes, as he relived those sensations. Just a few minutes ago she finished, yet he found that his heart was beating fast, almost racing, and his face felt unusually hot. He wasn't able to see his flushed cheeks nor his lips curved in a mixed expression, uncertainty and bliss. He had to breathe deeply even in his state, trying to calm down and quell that unfamiliar sensation on his chest.

Rinne had gone for some blankets, she knew they'd come in handy after she saw Yukimura at the end of their session. She had trouble finding spares and carrying them all the way back to the room. For a second, she regretted not bringing Pignite with her, but she knew the Pokemon would keep an eye on its master. As she slid the door open and entered as quietly as she could, she was greeted with a one-of-a-kind scene. It was 5 pm yet the mighty and unyielding Yukimura Sanada had fallen asleep, resting his face on the table he was sitting next to, Pignite at his side. She let out a sigh, as she smiled at the man in front of her.

* * *

The room was unusually lit, Yukimura covered his face. It was time to wake up and go training like he always did, rising when the sun rose. He opened his eyes, it took him seconds to register he wasn't in his room. Lying on his back, his eyes scanned the place. The bookshelves, the table which he had sat next to and was now in a corner of the room; he sat up, stirring up a little and sighing in relief, and noticed the makeshift bed and pillows under him, as well as the blanket he had been covered with. Pignite, at the sight of him, came closer and handed in a small paper, something it had been instructed to do.

" _Good morning, sleepy head. I hope you feel better,_ " it read in a slightly sloppy writing, Rinne's.

"Just how long have I been sleeping…?" he wondered, as it was too bright for it to be 6 am.

His thoughts were interrupted as someone knocked the door, rather loudly, Pignite walked to open it. Rinne entered the room carrying a tray, struggling to not drop the vase full of orange juice that shook with every step she took. With difficulty, she reached the table and managed to leave the tray without any incident as Yukimura watched her silently. As soon as she was done, he exclaimed, "Good morning…?" to which she nearly jumped, not having realized he was awake. He was thankful he had waited until that moment to call her.

She took a deep breath, he had startled her, and then with a smile, she replied, "Actually, it's good afternoon. It's past noon. How are you feeling?"

He counted with his head the hours he had been asleep, around 18 or so he thought. Seeing his confused stare, she laughed a little.

"You look much better now."

His body felt light as a feather and full of energy, he had never been in such a great form in months, maybe years. Then, his stomach growled loudly which he tried to hide with a cough, hearing a muffled chuckle.

"M-my apologies," he mumbled, embarrassed, inclining his head in apology. He hadn't eaten something since yesterday's morning and now his body was reminding him of that fact at the worst moment.

"I got you some breakfast," she said as she ordered the plates in the table carefully. "I managed to get a little bit of everything before the others." He stood up and walked towards the table, sitting next to her. "I can go warm up some of the food if you wish to."

He shook his head as he smiled at her. "You have my gratitude, Lady Rinne."

She smiled sheepishly as she scratched the back of her neck, chuckling nervously. "It was nothing… I-I will let you eat. Have a nice day." And with that she left.

* * *

It was half past 6, Yukimura was walking energetically past the halls, his head turning from time to time, almost as if he was looking for someone, Pignite following closely. He checked the room he had fallen asleep, no one was there. He searched the entire first floor, but nothing. No one in the stairs was to be found either. Then, just as he was passing by one of the windows of the second floor hall, he saw her staring down at the garden, carrying Eevee in her arms. He moved closer, clearing his throat to get her attention.

"Lady Rinne?" he asked, making her turn around.

"Oh, Yukimura. How's your day been so-" Her eyes wandered from his face to the flowers he was holding carefully. A couple of sunflowers. Then, she looked back up, looking at him curiously.

He held them in front of her, bowing politely as he spoke, "I didn't know how to thank you for what you did. I put you through a lot during the session and for that I apologize. Thanks to you, I was able to relax and rest and now I am feeling in excellent condition. I am aware it is not much, but please accept this small token of my appreciation."

She stared at him for a second, Eevee jumping away from her arms, as she received the flowers. Her eyes wide open at the present, she looked at them enraptured, they were beautiful.

"I-I did nothing that-" she struggled to say, as she turned to him.

He shook his head. "You did something that no one else could. This is the least I can do."

Her face became bright red at his words, as she unconsciously held the flowers close to her. "Thank you," she managed to say as the words threatened to die in her throat.

He stared for a second, eyeing her face curiously and slightly worried. "Are you alright, milady? Your face is red." She put a hand over her cheek, it was burning, as he said, "Maybe you are getting a fever. You should take care of yourself."

"I… I am fine! Really!" she muttered as she bit her bottom lip, looking at him and trying with all her might to not break eye contact, even though she wanted to cover her face. However that seemed to convince him.

"Now, if you'll excuse us," he bowed politely before turning around and both warlord and Pokemon began walking away.

"M-maybe we can do it again some other time?!" she exclaimed

Yukimura turned around, an unusually shy expression showed on his face. "I-I would gratefully accept your offer." Then, with a small nod, he left.

Her eyes never lifted as they followed him until he was out of sight, then she pressed the sunflowers against her chest and hid her face between the flowers. Her heart was racing frantically as she wondered if it had been a coincidence or if he just happened to know that sunflowers were her favorite flower.

* * *


	7. Letter

Yukimura Sanada had just arrived to his plain, but comfortable bedroom from a long, arduous training session. The final battle against Nobunaga Oda seemed closer and closer, and Yukimura couldn’t afford to waste his time. He had to train for the sake of bringing peace to Ransei, for once and for all. However, that was not the only thing he fought for. He wanted to create his own legend in battle, to show the world his path, to prove his beliefs and live his life according to his wishes. And there was one thing more…

Just as Yukimura headed to his bed, he noticed a red envelope lying on his small tea table. He thought it was strange as he picked it up and examined it. It was addressed to him. He pondered for a moment, should he open it? It was late and he was exhausted, but curiosity got the best of him. Carefully, he opened it and took out some neatly folded papers. A small red origami crane fell out of the envelope as well. He walked towards the window, letting the Moon’s light shine upon him so that he could read the contents of the letter.

_Yukimura,_

_You know, ever since I heard about you from Shingen… I knew I had to meet you. He told me things about you, about your passion, and your drive. I wanted to get to know you. I still feel bad about the thing in Terrera, I never intended to insult your Warrior pride. But I guess I am happy what followed after, I got a chance to meet you and fight you. You and Emboar, it was only a Tepig back then… You were so strong, so brilliant. I… I was captivated by your strength and determination._

_You never backed down and continued to fight, even against all odds. It was then I realized everything Shingen had told me was true. You are a true warrior. Even if you saw me, you still fought me with all you had. Thank you. I know I don’t make the best first impression… My brother would say that people meeting me would think I’m just a dumb kid. I guess that is true, but you didn’t. Or at least, you were kind enough not to say that to my face. I guess I did make a terrible impression on you, I’m sorry about it._

_But I… I wanted to tell you that when you agreed to join me, I was truly happy. To have the support of a reknown, er, reknowd, of an important and famous Warlord as you, I felt for once confident in my skills. I want to thank you, Yukimura, for your support. For being there by my side, when I need someone. You are just being you, always loyal, and I might be thinking more about it, but… never mind, I appreciate it. I do._

_You always do your best and you do it with your own strength. Remember our talk about the cranes? When you said you wanted to be able to prove your own might by your own strength, that’s the most impressive thing I have ever heard. You want to do things by yourself and follow your beliefs. You’ve told me before how you wish for others to know of you and your legend. I’m sure they will hear from the great Yukimura Sanada!_

_If you ask me, I think you are the mightiest warrior in Ransei. I’ve heard people talking about that guy Tadakatsu, but I think you are cooler. No one can follow their beliefs to the very end and you always are so willing to sacrifice yourself for your cause. You don’t let what others say affect you and you go on. You never give up and you continue moving forward. You are so… so amazing and dashing. You are like the sun to me. You one mentioned that moon inspires people, but I guess the sun can too. At least, you do that to me. I want to be someone worthy of you. Kanetsugu mentions honor and duty and everything, and he seems to be really into that. But I think the most honorable of us is you, Yukimura. You are polite and respectful, you always keep your promises and do whatever you can to help us, to help me. I am so happy and I really appreciate your help._

_Wow, I am terrible at this, aren’t I? Haha, sorry. I don’t even know, I just tried to tell you how I feel about you. I’m sure that you’d tell me I’m not that bad and you’d give me a polite smile. I just want to see you smile, a real smile. I want you to be happy. Sometimes I wonder if you are alright. You never depend on anyone, and you always train and you always try to live your life honorably… It is so… so noble and amazing. But it’s alright to depend on others once in a while too. I sometimes think you want to cry or scream. You are so kind, worrying about others, but who worries about you? Everyone relies on you, but do you have someone? You make it seem like you are so strong, and you are, but I still worry about you. I do think you really are the Strength from the Arcana, you know, courageous and overcoming whatever you face. But now that I think of it, you could also be the Sun, at least my Sun. Someone I look up to and who inspires me to go on, to accomplish something. But you work so hard, please don’t overdo it. If something were to happen to you, I… I wouldn’t know what to do. And the worst part is, I could order you to do it, but I know that would be the only order you’d have trouble following. Just take it easy sometimes._

_I guess, what I’m trying to say is… you are really important to me, Yukimura. I have never felt this way before about someone. I’d do anything for your happiness, anything. I just wish and pray for your well-being. Please, just take care of yourself. Don’t forget about your happiness. I don’t want to lose you. The mere thought, it terrifies me. I don’t know if I could deal with that. I’m a coward, but I don’t think I’d be able to smile and go on without you by my side. I know my feelings are probably one-sided, but I still want you to know… I love you, Yukimura. I love you with everything I have. Meeting you has been the best thing that has happened to me and I’m so grateful for it. I thank about it every day, all the memories I’ve made by your side. I wish the days we spend together would never end, you know?_

_It is alright if you don’t feel the same way, okay? I just wanted you to know. To know that you have someone who is cheering on you and worrying about you. If you could let me, let me be this time the one that supports you. Remember that talk about name meanings? The things you said about mine, about reincarnation? If reincarnation does exist, I wish I could be reincarnated and meet you again. To see you once more, to be by your side, I’d do anything for it._

_Oh, this was longer than what I expected, but I guess it is alright. But, before I’m done… If you could let me ask something to you, please, take care of yourself, Yukimura. Take a break sometime, take a nap or go sight-seeing. You don’t even have to bring me with you. Just take some time. Relax a bit. All I want is your happiness, Yukimura. You deserve it and more. If there is anything I could do for you, don’t hesitate, and ask. I’d do anything for you._

_Forever yours,_

_Rinne_

Yukimura brought the letter to his chest, pressing it against him as if he wanted it to reach his heart. He was smiling.

“Thank you, Rinne.”


	8. Solitude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This happens before the events of Chapter 4

Day 1

The girl sat in front of the table, only Vaporeon was next to her. The Young Warlords were busy training, as the day they were fighting against Viperia came close. She tried to join them, but they seemed to be too into their own training, into their own world, she felt she’d bother them with questions. She turned around and left. The Warlords skipped meal time, as they even forgot their own sense of time during training, some didn’t even eat anything at all that day. Rinne and Vaporeon ate alone that day.

Day 3

She noticed something was off with Ginchiyo. The movements of her left arm were stiffer than usual, anything that included that arm was done slightly sloppy. During the course of the day, she did everything she could so that she could rest her arm, she even offered to take care of Ginchiyo’s cleaning duty that day.

“Your arm… Are you sure it’s ok? Maybe you need some help, I ca-”

“This is none of your business. My arm is in perfect shape, I am perfectly capable of dealing with this.”

“Are you sure? I worry you might hurt yourself even mo-”

“Are you deaf? I am fine.”

“S-sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing for?” Ginchiyo said, as she left the room, carrying some heavy bags. The next day, she had her arm put in a cast, unable to move it for two weeks.

The girl grimaced every time she looked at the cast. If she had understood the way Ginchiyo Tachibana was, she’d have not confronted her directly and use an alternate method. Accidentally pitying the proud warrior in a moment of weakness, she had read that woman wrong.

Day 7

She accidentally entered a room in which Shingen, Yukimura, and Kunoichi were talking. She sat in a corner, trying to read, as the atmosphere became tense. Private topics that only the three from Terrera were allowed to listen. It took her three minutes to realize they had stopped talking, sometimes giving her cold stares.

She tried to break the ice, “So, what are you doing?”

“Heh heh, looks like someone can’t realize when they are unwanted in a place,” said Kunoichi with a cheeky chuckle.

“Kunoichi,” Yukimura reprimanded the ninja.

“But my lord, you know this is true.”

He grew silent, it was when she realized she was bothering them. With an awkward bow, she ran off the room, apologizing for her rudeness. She didn’t sleep that night, beating herself over her lack of understanding.

Day 11

She spent the entire day trying to finally get curry right. Cooking was one of her passions, but her lack of knowledge on species usually led her to create bland meals.

Dinner time. Half of the people present were busy in a talk about the history of Ransei, led by Motonari. The other half was busy discussing the strategic and military progress of Nobunaga. One side of the table grew unusually tense, she tried making a joke to alleviate the mood. It fell flat and some people got annoyed by her childish attempt. A casual comment from Yoshihiro brought back the conversation.

She suddenly wanted to tell that she was finally able to make curry, after the twentieth attempt, and they were eating it. She mentioned it proudly, but her voice drowned among the chatter of the two groups. No one was listening. She ate her curry quickly and went to her room. She swore to never make a joke again.

Day 13

She bumped into Kanetsugu and Ginchiyo, they were holding a book, one of her favorite ones. Completely delighted at this fact, a mystery novel she would reread a lot, she engaged into conversation with them, asking excessively and getting overexcited at the novel. Neither seemed too into the book. Eventually, she accidentally revealed the tricks behind the almost impossible murder and the identity of the culprit. Ginchiyo got angry for having the book spoiled, while Kanetsugu was disappointed by the result of the book. Neither seemed to be interested in finishing the book, now that the finale had been told. They left. She replayed that scene over and over in her head that night, wondering what would have happened if she had kept her mouth shut.

Day 16

“How do I make friends?” she scribbled constantly in some scrolls, with so much strength that her words were marked in the wooden table she was sitting by. Several, hundred, thousand of times, repeating that question over and over, wondering what she had done wrong. Everything.

With a frustrated scream, she crumpled the scroll; on the back were some important notes they had been given on enemy intel. She spent the night transcribing the notes, almost unreadable as she had torn the paper at several points when writing.

Day 21

Dinner again. The atmosphere seemed to be light-hearted. Groups of people were talking on different topics, she didn’t fit anywhere. She didn’t know about Motonari’s history lecture, Kenshin’s talk of Bishamonten, Yoshimoto talking about some foreign costumes and arts she’d never heard of. Shingen’s group was the only one who held a conversation where she could contribute to some extent. But she couldn’t forget the incident fourteen days ago. She ate by herself, surrounded by people, and went to bed early.

Day 25

She wanted to ask them if she was annoying, but the answer she’d get terrified her. She swallowed her words as she stared at the Starly in the trees, a habit she had since little. Motonari got close, wary of his surroundings at first, and looked at the Starly, holding a pen and a notebook. She got close to him and asked him if she could see his drawing, making Motonari unusually surprised and slightly flustered. No one was supposed to know about his secret hobby of drawing the Pokemon for his research. It was something private he wanted to keep to himself, as he was, unsurprisingly, bad. He excused himself.

She slapped her head for not realizing that from the way he was holding his notebook, and the glances he took behind his shoulder, he was hoping no one would find him. She saw them, and ignored them, focusing on the special drawing pencil he was holding, and the quality of the notebook, perfect for sketches and not for taking notes. She put two and two together, but forgot about the other two’s. Her deduction, her answer, was four, but the right one was eight. She cursed her lack of understanding and her flawed deducting skills. She somehow always managed to bother someone.

Day 28

Pages full of phrases are scattered throughout her room. Phrases written in despair and loneliness, written with a trembling hand that didn’t know to keep steady.

_I am annoying, I should just die._

_I should just shut up._

_They all hate me._

_Why can I never do anything right?_

_I’m so lonely._

_I wish they’d talk to me._

_I want a friend._

She picked them up in the night, and after feeling ashamed at what she had written, she went to the courtyard, to burn them and hope the wind would take away her feelings as well. As she burned the papers, she got caught by Oichi. She didn’t look and the next second, she burned her hand. Oichi scolded her for her dangerous act, she could have injured herself. She felt too embarrassed to tell her how she felt. She spent the night staring at her bandaged hand.

Day 30

She’s finished the eight book in that month. A fantasy story of a hero who joined a group of outcasts and, eventually, they all defeated a dark lord and lived happily ever after. Stories with happy endings were the ones she loved the most, the last fifteen books she’d read in that year were full of magic and happy endings. Promises of love and friendship.

She closed the book, feeling fulfilled about the journey the frail hero had just finished. Then, in the blink of an eye, she remembered her own situation. The frail hero didn’t exist, and neither his companions who stuck with him in good and bad times. There was no evil lord, nor any friends. She pressed the book against her chest, feeling as if she lost something precious, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to fall.

“Lady Rinne, are you alright?” Yukimura’s voice interrupted her thoughts, as he slid open the door and entered the room, excusing himself.

She felt that familiar knot in her throat, as she breathed as deeply as possible. Then, she smiled at him, a big grin plastered in her face, as she said, “I’m fine, Yukimura. I was just busy reading a book.”

A hollow, fake smile.

“Forgive my rudeness, but, are you sure? You don’t seem quite well.”

“I haven’t been sleeping well,” she said. “I skipped hours of sleep to finish the book,” she added, hastily, lying through her teeth.

“Is that so?” he wondered, not fully convinced. After seeing her nod, he asked, “What is it about?”

She put the book in the table, and opened it, flipping around the pages randomly until she got to the part in which all the friends swear to never give up, and when they tell the protagonist he’ll never be alone. “It’s about a lonely, unworthy magician who makes friends and lives happily ever after,” she said, as tears fell down, down into the pages of her book.


	9. Moon

She walked hugging the walls, trying to make out everything that lay in front of her. It was useless; everything was pure darkness, not even a faint trace of light. Vaporeon, sensing her fear, stayed close to her, nuzzling her leg trying to make her feel safe. Rinne tried to smile, as she knelt down to pet it. Vaporeon was with her, she wasn’t alone. There was nothing to be afra-

Something made a loud noise, and to make matters worse, it was close to them. Rinne fell backwards at the sound, and after trying to compose herself, tried to see where it had come from and what it was. ‘It’s so dark, I can’t see anything,’ she thought. Was that her imagination?

“Yeah…” She stood up, albeit with some difficulty, her legs were shaking. “I’m being ridiculous,” she told Vaporeon. “There is nothing here. If only I had brought a candle or something…”

She was leisurely reading a book, trying to kill time and make herself feel less alone. Oichi had suddenly came across some urgent business and had to leave for a few days. Ginchiyo and Muneshige were in Violight, as some rare Pokemon had been spotted. The older Senior Warlords had gone drinking and wouldn’t be back until the next day. As for the remaining Junior Warlords, she knew they had gone training and would take a day or two. She hadn’t felt like going training, so she thought she could handle being in the castle by herself one night. Vaporeon was resting next to her; they were the only ones in the castle as far as she knew.

She was so into her reading, she hadn’t noticed it was late until some booing could be heard, from across the hallway. Trying to not pay attention to it, her imagination most likely, she kept reading. She’d probably stay up, that would be a good way to spend her time. She doubted she could get any sleep, anyway.

The sound. Then silence. Rinne stopped in the middle of the sentence: “And then Lion turned to see…” Who was that…? She looked around, trying to see or hear any more sounds. Was someone back? Vaporeon looked up, curious, while she gathered up some courage and went to her door. She shivered, at least her room felt safe, and called, “I-is anyone here…?”

There was no answer.

Rinne, still wary, went back to her seating place, reading at night with a candle in a vase was the worst idea she could ever have. She thought at first it was for ‘the atmosphere’, but she was thinking now it was a terrible idea. Maybe turning on a lamp or the lights in her room would make her feel at ease. She moved towards the closest lamp she had and flicked the switch. Her room stayed the same, with only the candlelight providing any sort of illumination. Blackout warning for the night, she had forgotten about it.

She cursed her luck; she picked the best day to be by herself, and tried to distract herself from her predicament. Where was she? Oh yeah, the part where the heroine is looking for her friend.

“There was nothing in front of her, as she walked down the hall. The stagnant smell was killing her nose, no matter how hard she tried to cover it. Lion stopped for a second, as a small drop dripped in her chin. The house was old, surely leaks were around. But the fact it hadn’t been raining in months and that this small drop felt stickier made Lion raise her head to meet the bloody, lifeless body of her friend, attached by thousands of nails. More drops fell as she-“

Rinne closed immediately the book and threw it to her side. Why did she pick that horror book, of all things, to read there, by herself? Vaporeon sensed her fear and moved closer to her. No more reading for the-

An otherworldly noise resonated from the hall, making all the hairs in her head rise, and her heart stopped. She instinctively hugged Vaporeon, as she fought back the urge to scream. Both stood still, they didn’t know if someone was near, but Rinne would rather jump to the first floor than find out. She could barely make out anything now; the dim, dying flame of the candle was useless. If she could just find some matches or if Vaporeon knew any fire attacks, she’d just-

A huge crack to her side, something breaking in that same room, and then... The small flame died out, leaving Rinne and Vaporeon completely defenseless against a sea of darkness. However, that didn’t last long, as Rinne jumped and ran out of the room in the blink of an eye, with Vaporeon following her closely. She ran in the opposite direction of where she thought she heard the noises and stumbled in the darkness, going as straight as possible. She didn’t look back, what if that something was following her? She just wanted to get away, go somewhere lit. She kept running straight until a wall stopped her right in track. She didn’t even notice it until she crashed against it and fell back from the recoil, almost falling on Vaporeon which barely had time to dodge. Rinne checked her nose, no signs of blood. She didn’t feel pain either, which was okay with her as well.

Struggling, she stood up, her knees where shaking either from fear, the impact, or both, and she looked around. Everything felt so unfamiliar and the darkness wasn’t helping her. Trying to sort her thoughts, she breathed as silently as possible. If she ran straight, she most likely arrived at the other side, where the male Warlords stayed. Somewhere there would be a pair of stairs, which led to the first floor, where she could go to the courtyard or the entrance and either escape or stay until the lights came back. She had no way of knowing where the stairs were, unless she tried her luck and risked falling down them and breaking her neck.

Fortunately, she remembered a trick she’d read somewhere. If she hugged the wall of a labyrinth, she’d eventually get to the exit. Figuring out that it might work as well for her and stairs, she did so. She stuck close to the nearest wall and going in direction of where she thought the stairs were, she moved slowly, with Vaporeon following close. Eventually, the Warlord and Pokemon made it to the first floor, miraculously not tripping on the stairs. Rinne just wanted to get out of the castle fast. And that was how she had got there. Before that cracking noise.

Whatever that cracked, she couldn’t see it. She could feel a knot in her stomach, how she wanted to leave that place… She should have gone training, she mentally chided herself over and over-

A door slid open, several meters away on the other side of the castle. Her heart sank. No one was coming until the next day. Just who was that…?! She listened closely, footsteps… More than two…? Some seemed heavier. What kind of monster was that? The footsteps made the floor creak, and Rinne pressed her back against the wall. Was that thing coming close? To where she was? She needed to get out… but the monster was just in the direction of the exit. She had no way out- The courtyard. If they got there, at least they’d know what they were fighting against. Walking backwards, not giving the monster assailant a chance to strike her back, she tried to step back as quietly as possible. Praying the floor wouldn’t creak, she gave one, two steps. The footsteps were moving away as well. Three, four, steps and…

A loud cry.

She had accidentally stepped on Vaporeon’s paw. ‘Oh no, please don’t come here.’ She froze. ‘Please, go away. Don’t mind us. Be deaf, please, let it be deaf.’ The footsteps stopped. ‘Is it gone?’

The footsteps sounded again, louder and louder, going towards them. Rinne squealed and turned around, running blindly across the hallway as quietly as she could. It was useless, the footsteps were closer and closer and she broke down running, uncaring now if they were heard. Straight, turn left, go across the room, slam into the door, open it and turn right. A dead end noticed after slamming into it, maybe a broken nose. Go back and go straight now.

She had no idea where she was now, everything looked the same in the night. Trying to guide herself blindly with one hand, the other trying to stop her bleeding nose, she moved forward, backward, left and right, with the same steps following closer. She hoped that at least the pursuer would get lost or mistake her way, but every moment of silence, just before she could sigh in relief, was interrupted by the unnatural footsteps.

Eventually, they made their way to the kitchen, a place she actually knew well. It was close to the courtyard, at the end of the eastern hall. A dead end as well, but she could hide there at least. She was already crouching under a counter, where she’d usually slice vegetables, hidden from the door and hugging Vaporeon tightly. The counters in the kitchen were aligned in a J shape, with most of them lined up against the wall, and two, including the one she was hiding at, separated by a space large enough to fit those who were cooking. They had lost track of the monster, they were carefully hidden; the monster would surely not be able to get where they were.

The door of the kitchen, carefully closed by her as if it were to help her somehow, slowly slided open, making the worst sound she could ever imagine as her heart sank in horror. They were trapped. She shut her eyes tightly, as she hugged Vaporeon closer, neither daring to make a sound or breathe. In the dark, they might be able to go unnoticed, then, after it left, they’d go to the courtyard and figure out a way to escape.

The steps came closer and closer, but they hadn’t reached the counters. She dared to open an eye. She could see the top of the counter across her. A box of matches lay on top of it, shining faintly in the dark that had subdued somehow, everything in the top of the counter seemed to be visible…

It took Rinne just half-a-second to dreadfully realize that whatever in that room was had a light source. If it were able to walk to their corner…

“No…” she accidentally blurted out. Her voice, even if it was a mere whisper, in that deep, creepy silence, was magnified. She bit her tongue and covered her mouth, as she thought ‘Please, don’t care. I said nothing! I said nothing!’ desperately, trembling in fear as she heard the footsteps closer. She shut her eyes, praying to not be seen when…

“Lady Rinne?” Yukimura’s voice resonated in the room.

“Yu-Yukimura?!” she squealed, as she quickly tried standing up in her little cover, too quickly to remember where she was, slamming the top of her head against the counter, made of stone, and then fell on the floor. She was rubbing her head as she tried to not cry because of the pain, but whimpers still left her lips.

Yukimura, having realized her position now, rushed to her side; he went to the counter and knelt down.

“Lady Rinne?! Are you alright?” he said, making her wince in pain.

“Can.. you.. lower your voice… please?” she whimpered, slowly, as she felt her ears ringing and her head throb.

“My apologies, Lady Rinne,” Yukimura hurried to say, when he realized he was still talking too loud, as he saw her wince again. “Could you come out of that place?” his voice was now a mere whisper, “We need to examine if you got hurt.” He offered his right hand to her, which she took, and helped her get out, making sure to protect her head with his left hand in case she wanted to get up earlier than when she had to. Vaporeon had already moved out, and waited for its owner to leave their corner.

She tried to stand up, pulling herself up, but her legs failed her. ‘Of all the times to lose the ability to walk,’ she thought, as she stumbled, almost falling on the counter if it were not for Yukimura’s quick reaction and his strong arms supporting her. The faint light filling the room, not as blinding as she feared it would be, made her close her eyes. The sudden switch from total darkness to light added some pain to her already annoying headache. Until it died down, she was being led by Yukimura’s movements. They carefully moved to a free area in the kitchen, where he helped her sit, and then he knelt in front of her. Heavy steps resonated behind Yukimura, making her tense.

“It is Charizard, Lady Rinne,” he reassured her softly. She smiled awkwardly, feeling stupid for thinking it was a monster. “Please lower your head a little,” he said, as he used the flame in Charizard’s tail as a torch and examined Rinne’s head, looking for any injuries or traces of blood.

“Does it still hurt?” he asked, as he ran his fingers through her hair. She was lucky she hadn’t been wearing her headpiece, or she would have probably got something more serious when she bumped her head. He then rubbed her head slowly, trying to ease some of her pain.

“It faded a bit,” she replied bashfully, feeling her cheeks warm up. She couldn’t help smiling as she felt his touch, how he carefully stroked her hair.

“It appears you don’t have any external injuries, Lady Rinne. But I still need to confirm if there are no internal injuries. Please, lift your face and open your eyes slowly.”

She did as told, and lifted her head. In seconds, Yukimura’s calm demeanor changed into a shocked look, as he stared at her bloody nose and the dried blood traces across her face.

“Lady Rinne? You are bleeding,” he whispered, as he examined her face. He couldn’t see any recent cuts.

“Huh?” she replied, as she lifted her also bloody right hand. She started at it, slightly amused, she didn’t think she had been bleeding that much. She then stared at her clothes, her _kosode_ was stained as well, much to her dismay. It seemed it had dried already; cleaning it would be a chore. “I thought I had cleaned myself…” she added.

“What happened? Also, please follow the direction of my finger,” he said as he lifted his index finger, as he moved it left and right in front of her.

“Ah… well,” she started playing with her hair, trying to follow Yukimura’s finger with her eyes, “I just… noticed that the walls are sturdy.”

“Did you crash on the walls as you were running away from us?” She seemed to have no trouble following orders, she understood and talked to him normally. She was probably ok, something that made him feel more at ease.

“No, the wall came across my way…” she hastily replied, blushing furiously, still unwilling to look at him in the eye.

He sighed as he shook his head. “You should be careful. It’s not bleeding anymore, but we need to clean the blood.” Yukimura stood up and went across the kitchen, looking for something to wipe the blood from her face. Some minutes later, he came back with a wet towel.

“If I may, hold still, Lady Rinne,” he said, as he passed the towel over her nose and cheeks. The water was warm, almost pleasant. Yukimura tried to be as gentle as possible as he slowly cleaned her face.

Silence. Yukimura was too busy on his task to notice how Rinne’s lips curved into a small smile as she stared at him. His eyes… she loved them. Yukimura wasn’t someone who would be vocal about his feelings, keeping them to himself. But if she looked at his eyes, she could notice some of the emotions he tried to hold. Right now, they were full of concern and worry, concern that he would be too rough and hurt her. Worry that she had injured herself because she was scared. She chuckled a little.

“Is something the matter?” he asked. She shook her head, and stayed still. However, she didn’t stop looking at his eyes nor stopped smiling at him. She was happy he was there. Knowing that he was with her, even if he was probably out of a sense of duty, made her feel less alone.

He finished cleaning her face, and went to wash the towel. As he did so, he asked, “Why were you running away, Lady Rinne?”

“Ahaha…” she scratched her head nervously. “I thought you were a… monster.” Her voice grew softer and softer, embarrassed to admit such childish thoughts. She just couldn’t lie to him either.

“A monster?”

“I had just heard a ghost, so I wasn’t going to take any chances,” she exclaimed, earning a confused look from Yukimura. Pouting, she explained, “Ok, so I was reading a book when the lights went out. I had a candle, so it was ok. But then, I suddenly heard some moans or something. Then, something broke and it all went dark, so Vaporeon and I ran.”

He frowned, a mix of worry, concern and incredulity, as he cleared his throat to ask, “Are you sure it was a ghost?”

“I-… think so?”

“Why don’t we check on that, just to be safe?” He thought she was probably mistaken, and showing her that would make her feel safer. Not to mention, it’d help prevent another wall incident.

“I-I, why don’t we stay here?”

“If that is so, I will go upstairs and look for this ghost, then report back.” Yukimura stood up and walked towards the door.

As soon as she saw him almost leave the room, Rinne jumped and exclaimed, “Don’t leave me!”, running up to him and then clung to his arm. She realized this, and pulled away, turning red. “I-in horror novels, if the group separates, they all die.”

He let out a small chuckle and patted her shoulder. “It’ll be okay.” She shook her head furiously. “We will be together,” he said warmly.

“O-okay…” She sighed in defeat, “but I’m going to take a candle and matches. There should be some here.”

Eventually, the two Warlords and Pokemon headed back to her room. Rinne had found an oil lamp, and trying to make herself useful, offered to hold it and light up the front. She was too frightened to even remember the layout of the castle, which made Yukimura lead the way. However, she was shaking so much the oil lamp’s light flickered, and at moments it seemed she’d let it fall, when they heard the floor creak and Rinne would turn around almost expecting a monster. So, Yukimura also took care of the oil lamp. At first, she walked close to him, trying her best not to let her fear take the best of her, other than her ridiculous shaking. When they reached the stairs, Vaporeon and Charizard, following them like a trusty rearguard, bumped into each other and Vaporeon’s cry made Rinne jump. She instinctively grabbed Yukimura’s free hand and stuck close to him.

“It was Vaporeon, Lady Rinne,” he said calmly.

“R-really?” she squealed. She held his hand tightly, shivering from head to toe. He took notice of it, but said nothing. Instead, he squeezed her hand.

With her feeling slightly better, the group continued onwards. They reached the second floor when she had finally stopped shaking. Her room was just meters away. As they came closer, a sudden eerie noise spread throughout the hall. Rinne’s entire body trembled as she clung tightly to Yukimura’s arm, to the point her chest was pressing against his arm.

“Mi-milady?!” he exclaimed, as he froze for a completely different reason. But she didn’t move and held him tightly.

Another eerie howl ran through the corridor.

“We should go onwards,” he stated as calm as he could. She looked at him, terrified, and shook her head furiously; she didn’t know if her legs could hold her up any longer.

“The sounds seem to come from…” He listened closely, waiting for another creepy moan. “…I believe they come from that room over there, Lady Rinne.” He pointed at a room, almost at the end of the hall.

Rinne felt her heart sank, as she stared breathless. “That is…” she gulped, “Aya’s room.”

For the first time, a slight hint of fear crossed Yukimura’s face. “I see.”

“…”

“…”

“Can we leave now? I don’t want to go there.”

“We should check if anything is out of place.”

“I’d rather have the ghosts kill me than her,” Rinne’s voice cracked.

Another moan, Yukimura stepped forward, unintentionally dragging her as well.

“Lady Rinne, I will go search the room, while you stay with Vaporeon and Charizard. Is that alright?”

“I can’t leave you alone in there!” she exclaimed, her voice was trembling so much, he couldn’t help think it was a bit cute.

“So, will you come with me?”

“… I…” she groaned, and then sighed. “We can… go in there for a minute and our Pokemon can guard the door. I do not want her to appear out of nowhere!”

They slowly walked towards the door to Aya’s room. Rinne’s fingers had turned white from holding him. His arm started to feel numb, but he didn’t say anything out of consideration to her. She opened the door, strangely half-opened already, and both entered the room.

Rinne was usually curious to see how everyone’s rooms would look like. She had never, though, dared to enter Aya’s room. As far as she knew, Aya could have corpses or voodoo dolls or creepy figures and paper slips. But, surprisingly, her room looked the same the room of a normal person would look like: a simple, minimally decorated room with a bed and a night table with a lamp, two tables next to a window, and a wardrobe. It was clean and so pristine; it looked so normal. And this single fact scared Rinne even more than if she had found a corpse there.

Yukimura lifted the lamp and examined the room, nothing unusual except for the window. It was almost closed, but cold air could enter the room. He wondered if… And just as if it wanted to answer his question, a strong cold wind entered the room through that gap, cooling down his face and hands, also making the same sound they had just heard. Rinne’s grip on his arm loosened, and he moved his fingers to let his blood flow. She quietly glanced around the room, looking more relieved. ‘She must have come to the same conclusion’, he thought.

“I-I heard something break,” she said. “I don’t know, but it might have come from this room. I was too scared to pay attention.”

With this new information, he walked around the room carefully, looking for something broken. He thought the only way to calm her would be by showing it wasn’t the work of a ghost. She followed him closely, not leaving his side for a second, looking around as well. After some minutes of just observing and looking aimlessly, he still couldn’t find anything, and considered going to check on other rooms.

“Ah! There is something there! Under that desk!” she exclaimed, pointing at the space between the two tables by the window. The tables weren’t directly next to each other. Yukimura walked there and crouched. She followed suit, finally letting go of him. He felt his arm grow colder, he had already gotten used to the warm of her arms holding his.

There was a puddle of some liquid spread on the floor, but shrouded in the dark, it was hard to see. He was surprised she had noticed it, even with the light of the oil lamp he could have never seen it.

“What is this liquid?” he asked.

“The blood of her enemies… Can we leave?” she begged.

He extended his hand and touched it, ignoring her horrified look. It was cold, but…

“Water?” he turned to Rinne, confused. “Lady Rinne, has it been raining?”

She recalled everything she did. Other than the strong wind and the blackout, there hadn’t been rain at all. She shook her head, leaving him in deep thought. She looked around the two tables and saw something glittering under their lamp.

“What is this?” She reached out to touch it, then let out a small cry and pulled back. She moved her hand to her face, as she looked at her index finger. Blood started to flow from it.

“Are you okay, Lady Rinne?” Yukimura asked, turning his head to her way.

She stared at her finger, that had given her a good scare, but on closer look, the cut wasn’t as deep as she thought it’d be. She almost smiled in relief. “I’ll be okay,” she said as she sucked on her injured finger. “It wasn’t deep, fortunately, but I got cut by something. Maybe it’s a shard of whatever that broke?”

Yukimura,moving under one of the desks, lit up the place with the lamp, focusing on the place where she had injured herself. Shards of different sizes and shapes shone; glass most likely. So, it was a glass of water that fell off the desk? Something didn’t seem right. The rest of Aya’s belongings were on the desk, and he wondered if the air was strong enough to turn over a glass of water.

“Is this a cloth?” Rinne’s voice interrupted his thoughts, and turned at her again.

Directly between the desks some cloth, or what seemed to be one, was lying on the floor. She pulled it, this time carefully enough to not get cut again by any shard she wasn’t aware of, and grabbed it. Some pieces of glass were under it as well. She stretched it and examined it carefully, it was a towel. Something got her attention as well, though.

“It’s wet,” she said. She rubbed her fingers against the towel, as she pulled it closer to her nose and smelt it. She then turned to meet Yukimura’s eyes. Still holding the towel next to her nose, she said, “It’s water.”

Both stared at each other in silence. Yukimura was wondering just what had happened there. The water and the glass didn’t make much sense to him; there was no rain, and why was there a wet towel? Rinne seemed confused as well, until she suddenly stood up, and looked at the towel deep in thought. He followed her with his eyes, he had never seen her like that before, so focused and concentrated. Something glinted in her eyes, he couldn’t tell what it was.

“What if…” she began. Then, she folded the towel and placed it in the gap between the desks. The towel fell, making a splash noise. It had fallen near the water puddle they first came across. She then turned at Yukimura, with a faint knowing smile that seemed to change her face to a look he found surprising, but also inexplicably enchanting. She looked so excited.

“I’ve got it,” she said. “Someone soaked this towel, folded it, and then froze it.” She folded the towel as she spoke. “When it was frozen, they got into the room, when Aya wasn’t nearby obviously, and placed it between the desks.” She held the folded towel in the gap, if it were completely frozen, the towel wouldn’t fall in the gap. “Then they put a glass on top of it and left. With time, the ice in the towel would melt. The weight of the glass would be too much for the towel and both would fall. The glass was most likely put on the edge, so it’d fall first. If both fell at the same time, the towel would muffle the sound of the glass breaking.” She walked and leaned towards the window. “The culprit was sloppy, though. They probably entered through the door, left it almost closed, to be able to listen if Aya came in the room. Someone passed by, and they left in a hurry, through the window, as they couldn’t risk being seen out of the room, especially by Aya. They probably planned on leaving through the door originally, but with the risk, just forgot about it. When they left, they didn’t close the window either. My guess is that the passerby was not Aya, she would just close her door.”

Yukimura looked at her, completely impressed. “That is a remarkable observation and deduction, Lady Rinne,” he said, not even able to hide the hint of surprise in his voice. He hadn’t expected an explanation like that coming from her.

Rinne blinked, as if she was trying to process his words and looked nervously around her, completely flustered. “Ah, I am… it was… I mean, I did nothing…”

He shook his head, “Not at all, that was an impressive explanation. I wouldn’t be able to come up with something even close to your answer.”

“Ahaha… th-thank you…” she said sheepishly, as she scratched the back of her head nervously, with her cheeks burning and an embarrassed big grin plastered in her face. She felt Yukimura’s eyes on her, and she coughed timidly, looking around to avoid his eyes. He noticed she looked incredibly happy for that compliment.

“Well, um, that was quite the prank…” she said, after clearing her throat. Her voice trembled a little, from excitement. “They thought no one would enter Aya’s room, so maybe it’d be until late when anyone noticed the shards. They hoped for the water to evaporate by that time.” She was beaming with such joy that the sight of her made him chuckle. “Um… did I say something weird?” Her grin turned into an awkward apprehensive smile.

He shook his head, closing his eyes, and smiling warmly. “Not at all. You seemed quite delighted right now.”

She forced a cough, as she timidly looked at him, and played with her bangs. “I , um, I kinda got carried away.” She paused for a moment, as she looked around the room, and then added in a quiet voice, “I um, it sounds stupid but… I like to play detective sometimes.”

“In that case, Detective Rinne, do you have a suspect?”

“…” She looked at the ground, as her face blushed slightly, and shrugged her shoulders. “I was going to think about that…” she muttered. Truth be told, she hadn’t given the culprit a thought, getting carried away with the whole how-dunnit.

He let out a laugh, making her look at him, pouting in embarrassment. “Hey!” she replied, and then frowned. “Do you know who is the culprit?”

He smiled at her. “I have a faint idea of who might be.” The image of a particularly mischievous and bright ninja came to mind.

“So, who is it?”

“You will have to think about that, Lady Rinne,” he said, as he poked gently on her forehead, earning a shy look from her.

She had already forgotten about the wind, when it howled once more, sending shivers down her spine and making her jump out of surprise and grab his arm. It was as if she suddenly remembered she had been scared a while ago, looking behind her just to make sure nothing was there. It didn’t matter if she had exposed the tricks of the previous ghosts and noises, in her mind the mystery and ghosts seemed to coexist.

Looking slightly pale, she turned to Yukimura, and pleaded, “Can we leave now?”

“We can’t leave the place like this, Lady Rinne.” Yukimura would most likely try to clean the room and hide any evidence of their and Kunoichi’s intrusion to Aya’s chambers.

Trying to sound convincing, and not absolutely terrified, she said, “But it’s so dark. We can’t see all the shards, we might miss some and we’d have to enter twice. We need better lightning, how about we do it tomorrow?” Both knew perfectly well the truth. While she had a point, Yukimura couldn’t even see all of the shards and he didn’t want her to injure herself trying to gather them all, he knew she was too terrified to do anything and just wanted to leave Aya’s place as soon as possible. He could tell by the tight grip she had on him, not that he particularly minded how close she was to him or-

Embarrassed at himself, he coughed and stood up. “You are right,” he said, hesitating for a second.

“Is something bothering you?”

He coughed again, refusing to see her in the eye, and shook his head. “Shall we leave?” he asked hastily, earning a skeptical look from her. She wasn’t buying his explanation, and was ready to open her mouth to say something about it, he knew it. Fortunately for him, another creepy noise courtesy of the wind did the trick. Sooner than later, he found himself being begged by Rinne to leave the place, and eventually they reached her room.

Her room was the same as she had left it, dark and messy. When she entered it, the first thing she did was trip on whatever she had on the floor. How she had managed to leave it in haste without a light was beyond her. Struggling with her mess, papers and sheets were spread throughout the floor, as well as other things like small figurines and cards, she was looking for a candle or something to lit her room. Yukimura tried to help, but felt uncomfortable touching her things without her permission, so he just stayed close to her and scanned with his eyes if he found something resembling a candle. Even though he could have given her the oil lamp and walk to his room with Charizard, she insisted he kept it. As she was looking on the floor, she found some shards next to where she was sitting before the entire ordeal.

“Huh? What are these?” she wondered aloud, catching Yukimura’s attention.

He turned to her and lit up the place she was looking at. A couple of big glass shards were spread out, next to something metallic, a sort of base.

“This is weird… I had a candle in a vase when the lights went out. I was reading when there was this huge ‘CRACK’ noise and the light died and…” She stopped midsentence, and then stared intensively at the shards, with a not amused and disbelief face which was slowly turning red. “I can’t believe I’m so stupid,” she mumbled, biting her bottom lip as she finished the sentence.

“Is something the matter?”

“No, no, no,” she blurted out. “I mean, why would there be a problem, I mean, I just ran time ago because the vase broke and it scared the crap out of me, and probably cost me 5 years of my life.” She covered her face with her hands as she spoke and by the end of it she was trying really hard not to burst into pitiful sounds of embarrassment. She wanted to drop dead at the moment, for her idiocy and overreaction over a small, harmless candle vase.

She avoided lifting her face, her own embarrassment at herself was enough already and she was dreading the idea of looking at Yukimura’s face. Surely, he would think she was an idiot for believing in ghosts and getting scared over nothing. So, the idea of seeing a condescending or pitying glance in his eyes when she looked at his face weighted heavily in her heart. She hung her head down and let out a long sigh, wrapping her arms around her legs, hiding her face from his as she wished to just disappear. Her sulking was interrupted by a light pat on her head, and his calm, soothing voice, “You must have been terrified being here all by yourself. I was worried for your safety, so I came back but…” She lifted her head only to see him bowing. “I apologize for leaving you like this and the stressful situations you had to experience because of my lack of foresight,” he said.

She shook her head furiously, as she opened her mouth trying to say something. Eventually, she managed to get some words out, “No, no, I, it’s my fault.” She shrugged anxiously, as she started playing with her hands.

He stayed like that for some more seconds, as Rinne stared confused at him unaware of what to do, then got up. “If I may, there is something I’d like to show you. I promise it will not be anything that might scare you,” he said as he offered his hand.

Still puzzled, she took it, and she soon found herself guided by Yukimura, with Vaporeon and Charizard following behind, though the corridors and stairs of the castle until they reached one of the lounges which lead to the courtyard she had tried to escape time ago. There, anyone could see the garden that Motonari was trying to grow, and a clear night sky. The moon shone brightly, lightening the place, as if it allowed anyone who passed by to enjoy the beauty of the scenery.

“Whenever I feel anxious, I like to see the moon,” he said, in an almost dreamy voice. She was still holding his hand, looking up at the full moon above them. “The moon Buneary is watching us from there, so I know I’m not alone. If it is working hard to make mochi cakes, then I should too work hard on my duties.” He gazed at the moon, as he could feel all of the muscles in his face relax, something that usually took him a lot of effort.

She turned to look at him. The moon’s light shone on his face, making him look the most handsome she had ever seen him. It was one of the few times he looked calm and at peace, staring at the moon just like a child in awe.

“A-are you serious about the moon Buneary…?” she asked, slightly surprised and with a slightly more skeptical tone than intended.

He turned at her, his eyes showed no hint of joke, but a confused, innocent look. “I am, Lady Rinne. Is there anything wrong?”

She covered her mouth, which was curving into a weird, amused smile, as her cheeks turned a deep red. “That is… the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard…” she said with a trembling voice, her eyes not looking away from his face. To think that Yukimura Sanada, Shingen’s most trusted and bravest warrior, believed firmly in the moon Buneary… It made her heart race, something was ignited and now burning in her chest. She couldn’t help grinning nor stop the strong feeling of excitement that seemed to take over her.

“Are you alright, Lady Rinne?” he asked. “Your face is red. Do you have fever?” He extended his arm, to touch her forehead and see if she was sick.

“I-I-I… I am okay!” she managed to say, pulling back, barely avoiding his touch. He stared at her, confused, as she then trembled. The colder breeze blew past her, making her shiver. She had forgotten how her _kosode_ wasn’t exactly warm or long enough, too caught in Yukimura’s conversation to notice it. Her arms and legs were cold, being hit endlessly by the wind; her feet were already numb. She rubbed her arms, trying to warm them, unsuccessfully.

“We should head back, before you catch a cold, Lady Rinne,” he said as he escorted her back to the castle. She didn’t say a word, and just walked, yearning to cover herself with ten blankets and warm herself.

As they went through the corridor, Rinne cleared her throat. “Will you go back with Kanetsugu and the rest?”

He stayed silent for some seconds, thinking on what he would do. Truthfully, he hadn’t thought about it. He was only focused on seeing if she was alright. He pondered, though the answer easily came to him. “No, I will stay here, in case you need anything.”

“If that’s so…” she turned at him, holding his hand and staring at his eyes. “C-can I sleep with you?” she asked.

He stared back at her, and blinked, not long before feeling his cheeks warming, then burning. Feigning a cough, he broke eye contact, as her eyes were so intense and pleading, making him feel uncomfortably hot and a mix of bothered and anxious.

“Wh-what do you…” he gulped, “mean?” He forced the words out of his mouth, not looking at her.

He heard her sigh. “I just… it’s just…” He could hear her mutter something to herself, then sigh again. “…I won’t be able to sleep if I’m alone,” she meekly replied; making him breathe in relief. So that was what she was referring to… He felt embarrassed for a second, having thought that she would be asking him to… He shook his head.

“Is that a no?” The clear disappointment in her voice, made him regret doing that action already.

“No!” he hastily replied, startling her for a second. He cleared his throat, trying to calm down and collect his thoughts. His heart was beating faster than usual, he wasn’t supposed to get so worked up about this. “I mean… What I’m trying to say is that I apologize. I was thinking of something else.” Seeing her puzzled face, he hurried to add, “But if you wish for me to keep you company…” he coughed, “Is it alright for me to stay in the same room as you?” He felt awkward saying those words.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep. I’ll feel safer if I’m by your side.”

He deeply wished that she was talking figuratively, though deep down, part of him expected, hoped, for it to be literally. He took a deep breath, trying to quell the conflictive thoughts he was having. He could stay until she fell asleep and then leave, but he was worried she’d have a nightmare. There was the issue of whose room would they be staying at. He felt awkward inviting her to his room, but him staying in hers made him more uncomfortable. He was not going to do anything improper, but…

Almost as if she had read his mind, she said, “I’m fine by any room. Though I think mine is messier. We’d have to clean it…” She scratched the back of her head, as she let out a nervous laugh.

In the end, they went to his room. Yukimura thought it’d be relatively easier for him to explain himself should any of the men came across them the next morning. After arranging his place, having brought an extra _futon_ while Rinne looked around curiously, he excused himself and quickly changed his clothes in the bathroom. Vaporeon and Charizard had already found a comfortable place where they had fallen asleep, so that left her all by herself. When he came back, he found her rolled up, and covering under the blankets, as if they had some sort of magical protection against monsters. He went to his own _futon_ , and lay there staring at the ceiling, wondering how they had ended up like this. Time went by slowly. Not a sound could be heard, he hoped that the silence would lull him to sleep, were he not hyper aware of her presence. He wondered if she was asleep, or if she could sleep with him sharing the same room. He opened his mouth to ask her, but then decided against it. He didn’t want to wake her up. However, he couldn’t then know if she was asleep or not.

“I can’t sleep,” she whispered, almost as if she could read his thoughts. He turned to where she was, she was looking at him, wondering if he was awake. After seeing him move, she asked shyly, “Do you mind… if I move closer to you?”

Against his better judgment and reason, the words “Not at all. Feel free to do so,” left his lips, and he then found her next to him, dangerously close, but this fact alone made him strangely happy.

“This is the last time I read a horror novel when it’s dark…” she said, smiling as she threw some short glances at Yukimura, feeling slightly embarrassed with herself.

“What do you mean, Lady Rinne?”

“I, um, kinda have issues when reading horror novels. I read them, but I can’t sleep at night. So, I continue reading them because I can’t sleep. It’s a vicious cycle, and I only get to sleep when I’m tired enough to crash,” she replied, with a slight tone of shame.

He smiled faintly, as he imagined her reading, hiding under blankets, terrified at the slightest noise. “You shouldn’t do that. You need to rest properly, Lady Rinne.”

“Well, excuse me but you always skip hours of sleep just so that you can go train!” she playfully said, feigning to be offended, but failing to hide a grin that her lips were making.

He was surprised at her ‘comeback’ for a second, at loss of what to say. Seeing him, she then laughed and squealed in excitement, “Oh, I always wanted to do this! This is when I say ‘Checkmate’, right?!”

“ _Touché-_ ,” he corrected her.

She backed off as soon as he said that, and bashfully replied, “I’m not touching you, I swear!” as her cheeks became pink.

“That is not what I- I have to say ‘ _Touché…’_ ”

“I swear my hands have been close to me the entire time. I’m not even touching myself.”

“…” He gaped at her.

She raised her hands and showed them to him. “I’m not touching anything, I swear! It’s probably the ghosts.”

He forced a cough, and suggested “Why don’t we just drop this topic?” as he made a mental note to never say any French words to her.

“Why?”

“Let’s just talk about…” He ran in his mind a list of any possible topic conversations that did not involve anything that could be mistaken as something sexual.

“Hmm. Wait. How can ghosts touch you? They can’t ‘feel’ anything, right? And what would they be touching? Your ass? What else would they be touching? Um, why is your face red?”

He covered his face with his hand, as he closed his eyes, pleading, “Could we please drop the topic?”

She gave him a confused look, but agreed. Only after some painful minutes of silence, he could calm down. She was curiously looking at him, the ceiling, the bed, and everything; it was the first time she shared a room with someone, so she didn’t know what to do.

“So, I was thinking…” she started, as Yukimura started praying for something innocent, “Isn’t this like when… I mean, it is like we’re married, right?” She looked at his face. “I’ve always wondered what couples do at night… Do they fall asleep in each other’s arms? Do they talk until they fall asleep?” She realized her face was so close to his, so she turned around, showing her back to him, as she tried to hide her face and the awkward faint smile that flashed across. “S-sorry…”

He looked at her back, taken by surprise. “I think it depends on the couple,” he said. She never mentioned anything that had to do with marriage. In all the time he had spent with her, he could only remember hearing it twice at most. It was as if it was a taboo for her.

“You know…” she said, as her voice grew quiet, hugging herself. “I don’t remember my parents doing anything like this. You know, being close… They… they never talked to each other, and when they were together in the same room, it was like the other didn’t exist.”

“Sometimes couples are really private, and don’t show their love in public. Like Lord Muneshige and Lady Ginchiyo.”

“…I guess,” she said, not fully convinced. She paused for some minutes, as she was deep in thought. He looked at her back, unsure if the topic was going somewhere or if she had fallen asleep. But then, he heard her, “To be honest, I think they hated each other.”

“I don’t think-” he started, as reassuring as he could.

“You know,” she interrupted her, and Yukimura could swear he thought he heard her voice cracking, “One day they just started arguing. I was there, sitting in front of them, and they just… didn’t care. I can’t remember what they were saying, but then they just called for my brothers. They showed up and…” She had to stop to swallow and take a deep breath, as suddenly talking became more difficult. She clenched the blanket. “Gō went with my father and Daigo, with my mother. He’s the one I,” she swallowed again; her grip intensified, “the one I met the other day.”

Yukimura remembered. Back then he didn’t know his name, but he could never forget him. The man who claimed to have no sister, after humiliating, defiling her. Even now, the mention of him made him clench his fists in anger.

“I stayed there, and waited. And waited. Thinking about it now,” her voice was shaking, “I was stupid. I mean, if they wanted me to go with them, they’d have called for me…” Hot tears started to soak the pillow under her head. “I wouldn’t have been left behind in Aurora, right?”

He stared at her back, silent, listening to what she was confiding. Everything traced back to when she became a Warlord. He could hear them, the tears she was fighting hard to contain, but unable to stop falling into his pillow, making a discreet, revealing sound. She stopped talking, gripping the sheets, staying as immobile as she could, as the tears fell down. Time seemed to have stopped.

“I feel so alone.”

He couldn’t stay there doing nothing anymore. He couldn’t ask her anything, he didn’t know what to say. However, there was something he could do, something he also had yearned to do for a long time, even if he had only noticed it recently. He moved closer to her and embraced her from behind, his fingers grasping her hand, as his forehead touched the back of her head. He could feel her tense up at his sudden bold action. “Please, forgive me,” he whispered. “If I am making you uncomfortable, plea-”

“Hold me like this,” she begged. She held his hand tightly, almost desperately. He could sense it, she was shaking. He pulled her closer to him, no space between them, as he spoke in a quiet tone, only meant for her,

“I will be your moon Buneary.”

Her eyes widened before she broke crying, not letting go of his hand. She could feel his warmth, his gentleness, his intentions, his attempt to console her. As she cried, her sobs being the only thing heard in the room, she realized she wasn’t all by herself. He was by her side. Even if she didn’t get to rest much of the night, it was the first time in a long time she wouldn’t fall asleep with the killing sensation of loneliness she had gotten to know and hate. And not even ghosts, or monsters, or the memories that haunted her would get in the way of that tender moment they were sharing.


End file.
